The Light You Seek
by Soulhates
Summary: A history of misunderstandings and hidden resentments has culminated into Ichigo and Rukia's last year in Karakura High. With their friends wishing for them to both move past their shallow rivalries and verbal spats, perhaps the events of this year finally will bring them closer. It does seem rather optimistic, doesn't it? IchiRuki AU.
1. Contention

**[Edited as of June 17, 2014 with a lot more metaphors sprinkled in there.]**

Chapter One: Contention

The best way Rukia could describe Ichigo Kurosaki was with a word that, had Byakuya heard, he would be washing her mouth with soap.

Of course, it seemed that most in her school thought differently, which made navigating through conversations extremely difficult, him being a welcoming topic for others. Everywhere she went, they sang praises. "Oh, don't you think Ichigo Kurosaki is good-looking?" or maybe "Man, why does he have to be so smart?" Frankly, it brought out a jealous side of Rukia that she never had access to before (she was _just as smart as him_, she is _just as good-loo –_ well.) Even her two friends, Orihime and Momo, weren't immune to those flatterings, made more incriminating by the fact that the latter already has a boyfriend.

There was no easy method to pinpoint the exact moment in time when this distaste had been birthed, but Rukia supposed it was most likely in grade school. He had once received better marks than her on the students' quarterly progress reports and didn't hesitate to brag about it. Maybe not straight to her face, but somewhere near it.

School was one area that Rukia prided herself in, and such a shameful defeat was simply not acceptable. To make matters worse, she then proceeded to lose to him by half a percentage point in math class in middle school. That stung more than bees ever can. Adding salt to the injury was that the strawberry _continued_ to outperform her in math class, but never by a large margin, mind you – never more than a point or two. Oh, then he had the audacity to walk up to her in the halls one day and offer his assistance during a particularly difficult unit on quadratics. Assistance that she had no desire to accept, thank you very much.

That was not even the most irritating aspect about him. Ichigo had a particular air about him gave him the facade of being cool or uncaring, despite his highly respectable grades, which definitely clashed with the image. But that couldn't fool Rukia in the slightest. If "cool" were the sun, he would be a galaxy away.

She also did not comprehend why he kept approaching at her, be it in the hallways of school or somewhere off school grounds when they happened to bump into each other. The snarky, sarcastic grin that often followed his signature scowl. He never appeared fazed when their conversation turns into an argument, which happens frighteningly often, or she walks past him quickly, wearing a similar scowl harsh enough to scare children.

Needless to say, Ichigo Kurosaki was a dick.

No matter how many times Rukia tried to convince her friends of it, none of them listened and merely waved it off with a, "Oh come on, move past it, Rukia."

Renji Abarai was perhaps the most guilty out of them all, even going so far as to consort with and befriend Ichigo and calling her dislike of him a manifestation out of jealous, but in a less eloquent manner. It wasn't surprising though, considering they were on the same basketball team at the high school for two years before Ichigo quit, which had inevitably lead to the two spending more time together.

Orihime Inoue might be then the runner-up for the spot of most guilty, considering she does have a sizable crush on Ichigo. It had started a few years back when he prevented her from falling in gym class during a soccer unit. Her being slightly clumsy and a magnet for trouble made tripping on the ball practically unavoidable. Due to a questionable pass to her made by a fellow friend, Uryu Ishida, she lost her balance and tumbled down. Thankfully, her knight in shining armor swooped in from nearby and looped his arm around her waist, pulling her upright again. The only good that came out of the situation was Rukia grabbing the chance to steal the ball and score a goal for her team. Orihime, however, became hung up on the strawberry ever since and paid no mind to other possible suitors.

Momo Hinamori was probably the most tolerable when it comes to Ichigo, and for that, Rukia was thankful. She admired him quietly, but that was the extent of it. She was sweet on some prodigy by the name of Toshiro Hitsugaya, who was short in both stature and temper, a year and a half younger, but in their same grade. They balanced each other out spectacularly, actually. Momo was bubblier than a fish tank, and Hitsugaya would often become flustered by her mannerisms, which appeared quite cute.

As for Rukia's own love life? Nonexistent as of now, and she held no grudges against that. It will come when it does, and if it doesn't, then that was that. It wasn't essential for happiness.

All this she contemplated on one October Sunday, trying to delay finishing up a history project due tomorrow.

After typing the last finishing touches to the report, Rukia cracked her knuckles with satisfaction and leaned back on her chair with a slightly fatigued sigh. Finishing work usually came with a pleasant feeling of accomplishment, despite its strains.

Her phone lit up as her ringtone played "Spring" from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. Rukia designated one for each of her closest contacts (Byakuya, Renji, Momo, and Orihime), and this was the one given to Hinamori. "Hey Momo, what's been happening?"

The girl's voice was soft when she posed a question after some customary greetings, "Hey, Rukia, do you think I'm smart?"

Leaping adeptly into friend mode, Rukia assured her with an, "Of course! I mean, you could be lacking in street-smarts sometimes, but nothing that can't be fixed with some special conditioning. Why are you asking? Oh wait, let me guess, this is about Hitsugaya isn't it? Did he call you dumb, because if he did –"

"No, of course not!" She was quick to defend. "Shiro wouldn't say that, but – oh this sounds so silly – we were playing Trivial Pursuit, and he just _utterly demolished me_. It's probably me being a sore loser. But then there's the suspicion that – I mean, I know I'm not as smart as him, but what if he actually does think I'm dumb? Considering he skipped a grade and got into MENSA and... What if?" The last part was said in a whisper of horror.

"If Hitsugaya truly is that smart, then he should realize that you're the best thing that's ever going to happen to him and hold on tight." Momo was the type to overanalyze, especially on the said subject.

Momo giggled nervously, less anxious now. "People always say they get a fiery, fluttery feeling in their tummy when they meet 'the one'. Or maybe that's a sign I should stop reading romance novels."

"People say lots of things," Rukia mused. Momo could be entirely too naive and trusting sometimes, so Rukia assumed the job of bringing her friend down from her cloud of innocence. "For example, I get a fiery, fluttery feeling in my stomach when I see Kurosaki, and that mostly contains my animosity and a desire to punch someone."

Momo giggled again, this time more relaxedly. The two then moved on to another topic of discussion, a very heated debate on whether whipped cream was acceptable on coffee or not ("Momo, it'll just ruin the sanctity of caffeine!"; "Whipped cream is a versatile food and acceptable on anything!").

The two ended the conversation a few minutes later when Hinamori realized she still have unfinished chores.

As soon as Rukia hung up, another call came through, this time "Summer," which meant Renji.

"You have to rescue me from my inevitable death on Tuesday," he groaned.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Drama queen."

"No, you don't understand. My parents are hosting this huge, formal dinner at our house in two days, and it's going to be all old, boring people in suits and dresses. Even worse, they're forcing me to attend so they can present me as their 'most excellent son' to their coworkers." With horror, not unlike Momo's tone before, Renji added, "And I have to dress up in a suit, tie, and kiss old ladies' hands when inviting them inside." A gagging noise was audible.

"What do you want me to do? Get a huge wrecking ball and knock your house down so you don't need to go to the party, greet old people, and learn how to tie a tie?"

"No, no, just endure the party with me. That way, I can at least bring someone down with me."

"Hmm..." Rukia tapped her chin with an index finger.

"There will be professional catering."

"Done."

She could practically see Renji roll his eyes. They went over a few more details of the dinner party, like what types of clothes are suitable to wear and when to show up, and he ended the connection with a sincere, "Thanks, it'll be less hellish than before."

Throughout the two phone conversations, Rukia had moved from a corpse position on her bed to standing up beside her window. Her room claimed a large space on the second floor, and she was grateful for all the space. There was only one downside, and that was the view.

A practically identical house stood next to the Kuchikis (except with blue shutters) that belonged to no one else but the Kurosakis. Yours truly. Rukia scowled towards the direction of the building only to have the room directly across from her window light up. It _was_ getting dark, actually. Right when she was about to go and turn on her own light, Ichigo himself popped up from behind his window, probably meaning to close his blinds as well.

He immediately looked to Rukia's face from his windows and cocked his head with a curious expression. Oh, now it probably looked like she had been trying to take a peek into his room or something equally intrusive.

Narrowing her eyes at him, she clenched her curtains with her hands and flicked them shut without another thought.

* * *

Ichigo didn't understand why Rukia Kuchiki disliked him so intensely, made rather evident by her constant need to shoot him dirty looks or the sort. To be frank, it even frightened him a little how intense she could be with it all.

No one in his school can even hope to contend with her apparent loathing, and yet, he can't find a reasonable excuse as to why she felt that way. He didn't want her to feel that way like anyone would who had such an avid hater with no cause.

Not once had he insulted her or belittled her, except perhaps a quip about her height here and there, but come on. That was trivial. One day during elementary school, she had just shown up one day with a sudden sour expression and never really moved on from that. A true mystery with no leads.

He has tried to investigate the matter before, through initiated conversations that never really led anywhere except straight to a verbal argument. Perhaps it was time to abandon such a fruitless pursuit, because there would be no real loss, but giving up was never his bowl of soup, and so he persisted. Even some of her closer friends, like that Inoue girl who speaks to him often, failed to shed some light on the situation. She had posed some theories like Rukia having a jealous streak or an inferiority-superiority complex, but they seemed outlandish. This all led to him deciding on getting more intel by fieldwork in order to get to the bottom of this.

The situation with Rukia wasn't the only thing that perplexed him, though, and the other included him not understanding why people looked so favorably upon him. It was honestly tiring and left him with no room to, well, mess up. He once surveyed one of his closer female friends, Tatsuki, and she had given him a "why are you being so dense?" look.

She had said, with a shake of the head, "You know, for someone with one of the best grades at Karakura High, you can be really, really blind."

"What?" He had complained.

"Let's lay it out, shall we? You're among the top students, like I've mentioned, you're not bad-looking, even borderline attractive depending on what kind of day it is –"

"I do appreciate the compliment."

"– and you try to please everyone..." She had ticked the points off with her fingers. "Even Kenpachi appreciates your skills at holding your own in a fight, which is rare because he almost never speaks good about someone in that respect."

"That just means he wants to pick a fight with me."

"That's entirely beside the point. Did you also forget the dog incident last year, where you became a household name?" Tatsuki was referring to the incident last year when three extra-ferocious dobermans and three mutts were set loose within the confines of the school in the morning. No one knew who was the culprit, but many underclassmen assumed it was the senior prank for that year. However, it didn't prove too successful when one student fainted from anxiety out of cynophobia, and several ran out of the school. There were mixed reviews about the whole thing, as the majority were extremely amused by the distraction the dogs caused, but on the other hand, it wasn't the most thoughtful prank ever done.

Somehow, two janitors, several student council members, and a very irate principal weren't enough to catch the beasts as they weaved through the hallways, doing their dog thing and occasionally defecating.

Dogs were not Ichigo's favorite animal, and so all the barking was really grating on his nerves. In an attempt to calm everyone down, he bought a package of beef jerky from one of the school's vending machines and sort of waved and flopped it at the group of them, albeit not very enthusiastically.

Seconds later, they were hooked, and he was buried under six dogs that eagerly snapped at his hands, but not threateningly. He was not thrilled, to say the least, but at least the animals were under control.

Animal Control was then called, and it was revealed that they had all intentions of euthanizing the animals for "potentially causing bodily harm to students," as the principal so graciously put it.

As much as he didn't like the dogs, the fault cannot be placed on them and now, they're the ones paying with their lives for no real reason. Except scaring a few people here and there, but that was not a serious enough of a rap sheet.

In the short amount of time that it took for the Animal Control people to arrive, Ichigo managed to convince and rally enough of his friends to take the dogs into their care. In fact, he himself volunteered to adopt one of them, thinking maybe it could play frisbee with Karin or something. Isshin was hesitant on it at first, but Yuzu's pleadings were the ultimate catalyst in the final decision, and the new dog was christened as an official Kurosaki.

Since that day, a large population of the school looked upon him with some new recognition or even just giving him a general nod of acknowledgement through the halls. Rukia, however, was no different. There was a second though, seeing him buried under a pile of dog, when her eyes widened with surprise. It was a moment of being caught off guard that replaced the usual frown, which was a pleasant change, he thought.

She had the same exact expression on when he saw her standing by her window across from his. Then it disappeared, like it had before, and she seemed to pull her curtains shut at an incredible speed. Hm, no surprise there.

There was no time to brood over its meaning because then, his cellphne rang, interrupting his thoughts. "Hey Renji, what's up?"

"Kurosaki, you gotta help me out." He then went on to relay the heartbreaking tale of a dinner party he had to attend, hosted by his parents. It was filled with prospects of polite talk, meticulous table manners, and formal clothing – none of which were his forte. "So now I'm cordially inviting you to suffer alongside me on Tuesday at six. How 'bout it?"

"You'd owe me one, Abarai."

**A/N: Title inspired partly by a line of the Minecraft ending poem crossed with how the Italian pronounciation of Rukia's name could be taken to mean light.**

**Thanks for reading, and a review would be greatly appreciated!**


	2. Contact Sport

**[Edited as of July 21, 2014]**

Chapter Two: Contact Sport

The wake-up alarm had to be the most hellish sound to be ever graced upon this mediocre world.

Rukia's head was filled with that thought on repeat as she forced herself to ignore its meeping, crawl out of bed, and change into presentable school clothes. For some undiscernable reason, she wasn't able to fall asleep last night until well past midnight, and "refreshed" would be the the furthest thing to describe her messy-haired, groggy appearance.

Bleary-eyed and only half lucid, she dragged herself to the bathroom to fix her face and then down to the kitchen and tried to fix a quick-and-easy breakfast. After pouring some cereal into a bowl, one of her hands slipped, and spilled milkup ended up on the countertop. "Ah, fuck!"

"Problem?" A cool voice drifted from the adjacent dining room. Byakuya looked up from his place at the table, legs crossed and the morning paper in hand. Some coffee sat where his hands could easily access it.

Almost dropping her spoon in surprise, Rukia spun around on her heels towards the direction of the voice. "Oh, good morning, Brother. Didn't notice you there. I- I was just getting some... milk." She quickly cleaned up and went to join him.

The subject of swearing was a touchy issue in the Kuchiki household. Although Byakuya acknowledges the fact that his adoptive sister does in fact cuss, he still deems it an unseemly and unfitting behavior for someone of high esteem like their family. Knowing that, Rukia made sure to tread carefully (more carefully than normal, that is) in his presence, but slips do occur sporadically, such as when a person was running on less than six hours of sleep. However, Byakuya seemed to be in a pleasant mood today, and seeing how unrested she was, he made no comment on the occurrence.

The remainder of breakfast was spent in their usual silence, with either party sometimes offering comments on the weather, the stock market, or perhaps the general state of affairs in the government. Standard mealtime procedures.

After draining all the remaining milk from her bowl, Rukia took a second peek into the bathroom mirror to make sure her hair didn't look too wild and ran outside towards the bus stop a block away.

Ichigo was already there waiting, chatting with Tatsuki, a backpack slung across his shoulders. The twins, who were in ninth grade, stood off to the side, preoccupied with a conversation of their own. He paused almost imperceptibly during their conversation and shot Rukia a quick glance, but made no moves to speak to her.

She occupied herself for a few minutes by kicking some of the stray pebbles on the sidewalk.

The bus ride to Karakura High was uneventful as usual. Some people were extraordinarily loud, and some didn't speak a word. Some were doing homework, while some copied math worksheets number-for-number from their friends. Some couples were displaying overt PDA, while others who were clearly fighting glared daggers at each other. Rukia took her usual seat next to Orihime, and the oh-so-perfect strawberry sat two seats back from them.

Orihime shot an extra big grin toward his way when he passed by their aisle and gave a perky "hello" to Tatsuki.

"His eyes look nice with that shirt color," the Inoue girl leaned in and whispered to her friend after sliding down a few centimeters on the bus seat.

"If you say so." Although Rukia did feel curious enough to glance back and ascertain what clothes he chose to wear, she had to disagree. "I don't know, it's just brown. A very ugly brown."

"No, no, it's more of a golden brown, like amber maybe. Or caramel candy coated with some duck sauce."

"That's a different thing _completely_. To be honest, his eyes don't even compete with Keigo Asano's," Rukia colored her voice with faux admiration, knowing that the boy was sitting just a seat away. "Now _his_ eyes are enough to send shivers and feelings of being creeped out down my spine while Kurosaki –"

Clearly having overheard their conversation, though who's to say he hasn't been eavesdropping the whole time, Keigo protested with a, "I'll have you know, I have been told that these eyes of mine are lady-killers. That is, girls see them and then drop dead from such an overwhelming sense of their beauty."

"I do think they're rather nice, Keigo," Orihime said, though Rukia could obviously see she was trying her best to not burst out laughing.

"There's a certain charm to the way they, ah, see things," Rukia added and pulled her best pokerface.

"Damn right. Twenty-twenty vision all the way." He gave them a thumbs up, but his attention was completely taken away when Rangiku got into the bus and passed by his seat.

Homeroom was a welcoming escape from the tight, claustrophobic environment that the school bus provided and was always a curious thing to behold. The teacher in charge of their class was a man called Shunsui Kyoraku, and he had everyone whose last names began with the letters "I" through "K." However, because of his affinity for falling asleep even before the students have arrived, he rarely took attendance on time and let all the students pretty much run free. Mostly, homeroom duties fell to Uryu Ishida, who felt responsible to make sure there were no murders, drugs deals, or flashes of nudity in the room.

Kyoraku must be a deep sleeper as well, because it often got quite crazy, like that time a full-out brawl occurred over the correct way to do Don Kanonji's trademark pose. Nine times out of ten, he continued sleeping, and that one consists of him joining in on the ruckus.

Rukia was one of the first students to arrive, Orihime having slowed down to accompany Ichigo to his locker, so she decided to hurry ahead. It was better if she didn't have to witness her friend attempting to flirt and him being extraordinarily dense about it. She really deserved someone more astute, like maybe Uryu, who consistently stuttered while speaking to her despite being otherwise perfectly eloquent. He was a bit less well-liked than Kurosaki, having been called uptight and such, but at least he didn't an eyesore for hair.

It was also at times like this that Rukia often blamed the cruel alphabet for always pairing herself up with Ichigo. The majority of her teachers also insisted on seating their students alphabetically, and one doesn't require much imagination to see how that one usually turns out.

Fortunately, homeroom deviated from the norm and happened to be one of the few classes where no one followed the seating chart. Many wondered if Kyoraku even bothered to make one in the first place.

Unfortunately, the principal was present when Rukia walked in, meaning that the teacher would be on top of his game today.

Nanao Ise was a straight-to-the-point, taking-no-bullshit type of woman, and commanded immediate obedience, despite her slender size, which contrasted greatly with how Kyoraku operated. However, what physics class once said about opposites poles attracting must be true, because the man actually straightened up somewhat and tried to appeal to her demands when she was present. Whether that was the effect of affection from his side or not was up to debate, but several bets have already been made throughout the homeroom.

"Ms. Ise, how come you're here this morning?" Rukia greeted, not entirely pleased with the development. With Kyoraku being in actual teacher mode, this meant all the students had to follow everything by the rule book for fear of detention. Meaning no verbal fights from across the room, testing paper airplanes, or anything except staying in their seats and speaking in a calm manner.

"Standard, biannual staff evaluations," Nanao explained, tapping a clipboard with her pen.

It didn't take long for the rest of the class to arrive, and after seeing the principal present, Uryu Ishida's desk became a particularly popular place to congregate before the late bell rang. He was the mathematician and bookie behind all the betting and gambling that occurred in the class, so anyone who wished to place wagers or to change their previous bets went to him.

Throughout the four years that the Kyoraku homeroom had been together, several rounds have been played, and significant amounts of money have changed hands in ownership.

The very first gamble that had taken place was whether Ulquiorra Cifer, the palest student in the school, could tan or not (the answer to that was undetermined, as no one could convince him to stay out in the sun long enough – and bear witness to it – to draw a scientific conclusion). Then there was the infamous one over whether Ichigo could win in a fight against Kenpachi Zaraki, the most athletic student. That was cut short when the rumor of a fight circulated to the school officials and they threatened expulsion if any violence were to break out. Then there had been a recent one fought over whether Keigo or Kon was better at sneaking into the girls' locker room (both of them were pummeled pretty badly by Tatsuki Arisawa, so a tie was called).

The latest one, and one that has been going on for quite a while, was of course based on the true nature of Nanao and Kyoraku's relationship.

It all first began as a game of sorts that went on within the confines of the homeroom, and as statistic practice for Uryu, but slowly grew out of control. Now, the entire senior class participates and has turned into more of a tradition as time went on.

Roll call lasted for barely a minute, and there was only one announcement that was of interest to Rukia: "Don't forget to place your votes in this student council president election. The polls will close and the results will be announced tomorrow."

Rukia sneaked a glance at her forsworn rival who was finishing up some homework instead of paying any attention. Both of them were front runners in the election, and she had no intentions whatsoever of losing to Ichigo.

After all the absent students were marked down, Kyoraku chatted up the principal, or at least put forth an honest attempt. The rest of class sat around in silence, partly for its awkwardness and partly for its quiet intrigue. Nothing is quite like the experience of witnessing teachers trying to flirt.

The bell was a defeaning sound compared to the quiet in the room when it finally came, and Rukia hightailed it out of the room. She walked alongside Momo to their shared first period, which happened to be gym. Although she possessed a small stature, Rukia nonetheless liked to consider herself at least adequately athletic, particularly during activities that require dodging.

However, that skill won't be much use for the day, because the chosen activity turned out to be basketball. Many of the boys were gladdened by the news, including Kurosaki, seeing that a number of them were on the school's team. Their teacher was a slender, dark-skinned woman whom everyone called Yoruichi. One of her hobbies was blowing her whistle as hard as she could, and she did exactly that then ordered everybody to group up into teams of four players, and God help her if anyone gets left out because exclusion will not be tolerated at this school.

After that was done and over with, she explained the objectives for that day's class, which was for the teams to play several mini-matches, each lasting five minutes. Hopefully, that will promote more individual participation.

Rukia cracked her knuckles with a reassuring grin and turned to her team, which consisted of Momo, a tiny girl named Yachiru, and a straggler called Hanataro who was too shy at first to ask to join a team. "Don't worry, guys, we totally got this."

The doubt came after seeing their first opponents.

After being randomly assigned a team number by the teachers, all the teams were paired up randomly to go against each other, and Rukia's was chosen to face four boys who were all past or present members of the Karakura basketball team. Zaraki, Grimmjow, Chad, and who can forget fate cruelly shining down upon her, Ichigo Kurosaki. Their team gave Ichigo the privilege to tip the ball.

"I'll do it," Rukia murmured, confidence dimmed, to her teammates out of the corner of her mouth. It was almost instinctive, as competition against the strawberry was not such a foreign thing to her. Rather commonplace, actually, that she has grown accustomed to it. Had she not disliked him so, then she could even call him something of a motivator, always pushing her to just be _better_ than him at things, whether that was in gym class or not.

Ichigo smirked when he saw her approach the center of the court.

"You won't be smiling after you lose the match," Rukia growled, suddenly extremely conscious of their height differences. She barely reached his shoulders, which didn't bode well in the fields of intimidation, a thing that was key in playing sports. Maybe she shouldn't have gone on a whim after all and volunteered for the ball-tipping duty, but in no way was it possible to back down now without appearing fearful.

And up the ball flew, launched by Yoruichi, but Ichigo made no moves to grab it. It fell right into Rukia's open palms, but she stood frozen as well, confused by his immobility. She had expected an intense battle, but this was just slightly insulting, "Are you just going to let me have the ball?"

"Why not," he shrugged almost snarkily, as if it were no big deal. "I mean, seeing who you're up against, you should appreciate the help."

"What's that suppose to mean? I have a perfectly competent team!" She shoved the ball at him. "I don't need your pity."

"I'm not trying to pity you! Just take the ball, goddammit." He threw it back, but its path was intercepted by a very disgruntled Grimmjow before it could reach its intended recipient.

Growling, he gave them both a look of disgust. "Take your flirting somewhere off the court." Then, it was as if a switch had been flipped, everyone on the gym floor snapped back into serious mode. The game finally started and the timer, set.

Rukia tore away from the center of the court and ran to defend. Yachiru yelled that she would be handling Kenpachi, which Momo appeared rather concerned about. However, she didn't' have long to dwell on that because she had her own person to keep track of. Hanataro then stepped up and tentatively claimed Chad. The other team scored for their lack of organization.

Then they continued to score, many times.

When there was only two minutes left and Rukia's team was still devoid of any points, she decided that she had to do something. Her pride, their _team's_ pride, was at serious stake here.

Momo currently held possession of the ball, but she was cornered by both Ichigo and Chad with no way to pass it without it being obstructed by an enemy teammate. The girl threw a look of bewilderment at Rukia, who began to devise a plan. She was small enough dart into the gap between the two of their opponents, snatch the ball from Momo, and hopefully escape without it being stolen. Finally, her size might become an advantage. Yes, this would definitely work.

After a silent preparation of counting to three, Rukia leaped forward with a short battle cry, completely determined – only to have someone's elbow slam directly into her face.

Ichigo must've turned around suddenly after hearing her yell, consequently swinging his arm around. Inertia kept it flying until it met an obstruction, which was unfortunately Rukia's face. With a yelp, she staggered backwards, clutching her nose. It stung like hell, and a few drops of blood began leaking out. The whole room fell silent, and Momo gasped and dropped the basketball after noticing the crimson on her friend.

"Kuchiki! Are you alright? Still alive? Good." Yoruichi blew her whistle and ran up towards the girl. She pointed a finger in Ichigo's direction and commanded, "You, Kurosaki, take her to the nurse's office!"

Rukia began to protest vehemently that she was absolutely fine, but that was cut short when Yoruichi shoved her outside the gym along with Ichigo, saying she better not come back until the nurse says it's alright for her to. The blood had ceased its flow, and Rukia felt a strong urge to wipe some of it on Ichigo's shirt as payback for such a dirty trick. But no, that would go against all the courtesies and manners that Byakuya taught her. What made her feel a warm glow of satisfaction, though, was when she saw that her reluctant escort appeared, if possible, guilty. His hands were stuffed in the pockets of his gym shorts, and he padded a few steps behind her.

Feeling her accusatory gaze, he lifted his eyes, shrugged in a 'what can you do' way, and said, "Sorry about that."

That made her snap, "'Sorry'? That's all you've got?"

He held up his hands in protest. "What else am I suppose to do? Grovel at your feet for forgiveness just because of a small accident? Sorry, but you're not as worthy of that as you might believe."

Clenching her fist, Rukia halted in her steps and turned to face Ichigo with an expression that conveyed murder. There was no Uryu here now to stop her if she did wish to do so. Poking an index finger harshly into his chest, she snapped, "I'll have you know that I wouldn't forgive you even if you did grovel at my feet for forgiveness. You're not as worthy of my forgiveness as you might believe."

"Well, I didn't. Grovel, that is."

"That's beside the point! You're the one who's at fault here for making me bleed _all over my face_. And humiliating me in front of the class as a result." Rukia was now standing on her toes in an attempt to gain some leverage in height.

He frowned, as if contemplating something, then burst out in a laugh. Alarmed, Rukia took a step back.

After finally composing himself, Ichigo managed hand out an explanation, "You still have blood on your face, by the way. Maybe we should postpone this argument until later, when you don't look like someone who had just committed murder and forgot to clean up the evidence."

"Maybe you're the one who really needs to be murdered..." Rukia muttered under her breath and stalked away towards the school nurse's office, livid.

* * *

**A/N: I want to say that this fic is based on the American school years system, meaning 5 years for elementary school, 3 for middle, and 4 for high. **


	3. Planning

**[Edited as of July 22, 2014]**

Chapter Three: Plans

Ichigo stood by idly and read some band aid labels while Unohana cleaned off the excess blood off of Rukia and made sure nothing important was broken. And while the woman wiped her face with a wet rag, Rukia shot multiple consecutive death glares at her assigned escort. "You can go back to gym now, you know? I don't really need you here anymore. Go and tell Yoruichi that I survived or something."

"And who will make sure that you don't faint from blood loss on your way back?" He laughed.

"I'll survive." She scowled at him, and the nurse seemed to stifle a smile from the sidelines.

Unohana had deemed her healthy and fit after a once-over, so the two students were let go, and Rukia kept two steps ahead of Ichigo as they walked. He didn't seem to care much.

Once they arrived back, she was asked to sit out on the bleachers and spectate, "Just to give you some time to recuperate," Yoruichi reasoned. "I don't want to get sued for being irresponsible." Meanwhile, Ichigo was allowed to jump right back into the court, and his team ended up winning every single game they played. As for Momo, Yachiru, and Hanataro, they continued playing, but to make the teams fair, an opponent team member always had to sit out to accommodate their shortage of one.

The remainder of the school day was rather slow-going for Ichigo – well, nothing would really compare after the extremely eventfulness of first period. All the usual materials were presented in Statistics, and they read a section of _Paradise Lost_ out loud in Literature, which nobody understood a word of without the help of SparkNotes. Study hall also ended up looking much more similar to nap time during day care rather than an actual period of productivity.

So he was rather thankful when the bell rang that signified lunch, because that was one period that never went wrong.

He shared some words with Renji during study hall in between attempting to do some actual work and ultimately giving up on that. While it mostly consisted of complaints about the unfair amount of homework, their respective parents, and all the standard topics, the issue of the school-wide election did crop up when the russet-hair commented, "You're probably going to win president's position, you know."

Ichigo shrugged and pulled out the white shirt he usually wore for practice. "Rukia could, too. She's pretty serious about this. Too serious, in fact."

"Nah," Renji shook his head. "She's my friend and all, but facts speak for itself. You should talk to Ishida more, because he's, like, got this whole thing figured out."

"Ishida? He's not really a big fan of me." They had a rivalry going on that was not unlike him and Rukia, although Uryu was considerably less vocal and focused on it.

"I guess he hates me less, since he told me about all these numbers crap and surveys he's done in addition to all the votes that are in so far. To spare you the details, because frankly, I have no idea how it works, you're going to pull ahead of Rukia by a couple of votes. Our grade's pretty divided in terms of voting, with most of the girls for Rukia and most of the guys for you, so no leads there."

"Makes sense."

"Some mixed results in the two grades below us, but that's not important. The thing you got working for you are your sisters in ninth grade, and apparently they've been getting votes for you. So yeah, you've got it in the bag."

That managed to lighten Ichigo's mood enough for him to cease the mutual complaining session and start tackling some worksheets again. Halfway through, he took a break and tried to imagine himself in the role of president, though the only image that came up was the furious expression of Rukia after finding out she lost due to his connections to the ninth graders. It was hysterical, actually.

The only rain in his parade was returning home after a draining day, because tired Kurosaki is a Kurosaki that was off-guard and vulnerable, which never worked out because Isshin always had a special physical attack held in store to welcome each of his children home.

The moment Ichigo stepped a foot into the kitchen where both Yuzu and Karin ran to gorge themselves on cookies, a Isshin leapt out from seemingly nowhere and attempted a most skillful tackle. The dog took all that as an invite to join in on the action as well.

It took several loud rounds of shouting from both parties and a series of eye rolls from Karin before Ichigo finally managed to escape the wrath of his bizarre father.

He grasped the first chance of escape that came and leaped for the quiet sanctity of his bedroom, but only after stealing a handful of those cookies that Yuzu made. The curtains were pulled wide open, and the Kuchiki house was in full view. So utterly different from theirs, it lacked a sense of... life. All the lights were off except for the room facing his, which signified that Rukia was the only one home. It definitely wasn't a place filled with merriment or fathers sneak-attacking their children.

After devouring Yuzu's cookies with fervor, the effects of a Monday finally took its toll. He laid himself down on his bed, corpse-style, and clocked out faster than Isshin could ever tackle someone. It was not until tomorrow morning that he realized he hasn't started any of his homework.

* * *

Tuesday morning passed in a rushed blur for Rukia. During homeroom, a schoolwide announcement was made over the PA system, the voice courtesy of Momo, that the school would no longer serve ice cream in the cafeterias. Waffle cones, ice cream bars, Haagen Dazs, all gone. They explained it was some health initiative, but needless to say, the students of Karakura High were not particularly pleased. Even the teachers seemed disgruntled by the news, and almost everyone meandered through the hallways with a vaguely pissed off expression.

Gym class didn't fare any better, either, because Yoruichi continued with their basketball unit. Thankfully, she chose the teams herself this time instead of letting the students do so, resulting in some objections but mostly relief from the participants. Nobody had liked the prospects of having all the basketball players together on one team again.

Class time ran out before Rukia's team had an opportunity to be pitted against Ichigo's, so she didn't get an opportunity for any revenge for yesterday.

Her good mood, though, was tested when her orchestra conductor informed her that she will be collaborating with Ichigo for the winter concert that is being held in December.

Now orchestra was one area that Rukia like to believe she crushed Ichigo at, despite them playing different instruments. She commanded the violin with grace and poise while he took more to the cello. They were both first chairs in their respective sections, but she has been playing for a year longer, therefore holding the upper hand.

But apparently the conductor hadn't thought of it that way, because he was convinced that there was a particular violin-cello duet that "fit both you and Mr. Kurosaki's skill levels well, which would make it perfect if you two performed together. Oh, imagine the sound quality!"

Every single year, the senior class always had a few solo pieces, duets, or trios handed out as a gift type of thing for the students' four years of continued dedication to the school orchestra. The most skilled players were chosen for the opportunity, and most strived for an occasion to seize a spotlight all to themselves. However, even when offered, it was still ultimately up to the students to accept or refuse the chance, but few ever opted for the latter.

Rukia had seen a senior perform a complicated piece by herself when she first entered the high school, and since, set her eyes on the honor. But now, a duet just seemed... second-rate.

It took quite a lot of self control to not start laying complaints on her teacher because, after all, that would be incredibly unprofessional for the concertmistress to do.

Continuing on without noticing any of her student's inner grievances, the conductor said, "You both are wonderful players, no doubts about that, so I think it'd be an absolute treat for the audience to hear what you could produce together. The song I had in mind is 'Schindler's List Theme,' composed by John Williams. Very, very gorgeous, as fitting of your playing, Rukia."

_But clearly not gorgeous enough to warrant a solo... _

"I had already talked to Ichigo about this in earlier period today, and he said it would be a fine idea. Now the decision rests on you..." The teacher tapped his fingers expectantly against his desk's wooden surface, smiling.

Now Rukia was trapped in a most troublesome dilemma. On one hand, she honestly, truly didn't want to cooperate with the strawberry – oh, they'd be forced to meet up out of their own free time and rehearse together, which was a contemptible notion and an inconvenience. However, it didn't look like she will get another offer of a solo any time soon, so it was either this or nothing.

Did she want to taint her special moment or simply not have one at all?

"Alright, I'll do it." It was probably the reason why he accepted, too.

The teacher looked pleased and sent her to her next class with the sheet music needed.

Aside from that unpleasantness, the day went on for Rukia. The other classes were straightforward enough. On the bus ride home, Orihime distracted her with talk about how she wished to get a cat, as it did get lonely sometimes in the Inoue household without anyone else.

The bus arrived back in Rukia's neighborhood, and she descended with the Kurosaki's and Tatsuki, who took off in the opposite direction toward her own house. Yuzu was calling for Karin to rush home quickly, because the newest Chappy episode will start airing in five minutes. Rukia overheard and was inclined to do the same when Ichigo intercepted.

"So, a duet, huh?"

Rukia gripped her backpack straps and gave a nod toward his direction. "Yes, and I accepted the offer. Which means that at no point during the performance will you screw up, because it'll be my shining moment."

"I don't know, isn't it more of_ our_ shining moment? You know, duets do require two participants." He shrugged. "Pretty selfish to claim all the credit, if you ask me.

"You can take your shining moment elsewhere, because I'm calling dibs on this one. Byakuya is going to be attending this concert, my last one in my high school career, so if you so as much as play out of tune..." He was being way too mellow about this extremely important situation, Rukia decided. He shouldn't be looking like he expected this to happen. He should be more selfish about this. She also decided that he was standing too close for comfort and sped up – that Chappy episode wasn't going to watch itself.

"Wait," he called out and took out a scrap of paper and a pen from his backpack. After scribbling down some numbers, he handed it to her. "My cell, so we can make arrangements on rehearsal times and stuff."

Rukia accepted it reluctantly, knowing that it was for the greater good. Byakuya should better appreciate the sacrifices she makes.

"Aren't you going to give me yours? Seems like an unfair trade." Ichigo questioned when she went right on ahead and made the turn onto the walkway to her house. "There you go with the selfishness again."

"Sorry, but I only give my contact information to people I trust. For now, I'll contact you when I have the need to, so you just have to wait until I do. Goodbye and good day."

"I can just ask Orihime for it, you know." He grinned, knowing he had her trapped.

"She wouldn't give it to you."

"She would." And that was the truth.

After some inner deliberation, Rukia clenched her teeth and took out her own phone. She dialed the number on the scrap of paper. Ichigo's ringtone sounded, and he accepted the call with a small, triumphant smile.

"There you have it. Happy?"

"Delighted. Now I will proceed to post this number all over the internet so people can go and invade your privacy, because after all, I _am_ an untrustworthy person by your standards. Goodbye and good day." Ichigo gave a small waved and walked off, ending the call connection.

"You better not!" Rukia shouted after him, to which he gave no response, and shut her door. Byakuya was still away at work, as expected. He usually returned at around seven or eight at night, so the whole house was currently free for her to do as she pleased. With that in mind, she sat herself down in front of the television set with a box of Girl Scout cookies and tuned in to her cartoon. Half an hour later, it was off to finish some homework, though most have already been done during study hall. There won't be time to do it later, though, since there is still Renji's dinner party to attend later that night.

Speaking of which, she still had to pick out an outfit to wear for the occasion. And there was only one person fitting for the job –

"Hey Momo, hypothetically speaking, what kind of clothes would be good for me to wear to a dinner party?"

"Is this a dinner party with a special someone?" Momo's voice practically radiated more and more excitement with every word she spoke. "Oh, this is exciting. Who is this mysterious someone?"

"Slow down, Hinamori," Rukia rolled her eyes. "No need to jump to conclusions. I said hypothetically, didn't I? Did you really expect me to have a 'mysterious someone'? I was just wondering what colors would look good on me, nothing too extravagant."

The girl on the other end mused, "Colors, huh? I think a nice lilac or violet would go well with your eyes. If not, you could always go with a more complementary color, like a very light lime."

"Okay, so if I can manage to come up with something purple or maybe green?"

"Exactly!"

"Maybe I should get a grape costume from the corner store and call it a day," Rukia laughed. "But thanks, nonetheless. I could probably drudge something up."

She managed to find an old dress that was a nice purple at the back of her closet. It had two thin shoulder straps and ran right above her knees. As for shoes, there was a pair of dark-colored flats that would be perfectly adequately.

By the time she was fully dressed up, it was edging towards six o'clock, so she grabbed a set of keys and made for the garage. The Kuchikis' had two cars – a very sleek, dark, and elegant one that Byakuya drove around (which fit him rather nicely), and a much clunkier, older one that Rukia had wanted as a present (half of it paid for by herself) for her seventeenth birthday. It was small, light silver, and she had named it Sode no Shirayuki.

The Abarais don't live too far away, so the drive there barely lasted ten minutes. Renji's parents were actually one of the richest residents in Karakura. The story went that they had their lucky break when they patented some complex gadgetry a few years before Renji was born, and now, they earn their living by investing in new business owners or companies. Today's dinner would most likely include business of that sort.

Renji greeted Rukia at the door wearing a stiff suit (looking particularly uncomfortable while doing so) and a reddish tie that rivaled his hair shade. He led her into the living room and whispered, "This is worse than I imagined – everyone is so much less interesting than I hoped, and I've already been kissed on the cheeks three times by ladies I barely even know. Three! That's pretty much three times too many."

"Renji, this doesn't seem that horrible." She plucked a small shrimp appetizer off the tray of a caterer and finished it in one bite. Not bad. "At least there's good food."

"Did I mention that my grandparents are here as well? They're in town and apparently decided to drop in, not that I believe that story for a minute. They probably just want to mooch off of our indoor hot tub." As if on cue, an elderly woman showed up in the living room and seemed delighted to find the two in there.

"Honey! Who might this nice-looking young lady be? Please introduce us" The woman reached up, way up, and ruffled her grandson's hair.

He squirmed underneath her hand and awkwardly gestured forward. "This is Rukia, Grandma. A friend."

The elderly Abarai looked intrigued as they shook hands. "Just a friend? Oh how cute. Rukia, I make it a policy to be well acquaintanced with all my relatives' friends, so we must have tea together sometimes. Or if you'd prefer–"

"Renji! Another one of your friends is at the door," His mother, an attractive woman with russet hair, called from the door.

Glad for the excuse to not further the conversation, Renji grabbed Rukia by the arm and practically ran out of the living room. The two of them made their way over to the door, and Rukia inquired, "You invited someone else?"

Ichigo was standing at the entrance, wearing a white button-down shirt and carrying an offering of pie in one hand. "I wasn't sure whether to bring something or not, but Yuzu – oh, look, fancy seeing you here, Rukia."

There was a moment where Rukia wished to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but that would be completely against her character. In the proceeding few seconds, her facial expression flitted from surprise to annoyance, then switched to anger and bemusement in the next. She finally was able to found a familiar one to settle on – it conveyed "what in hell is going on?" with an added hint of "you sneaky, conniving –"

Renji clapped his hands together, "Great, you're here, Kurosaki. Now before you two all gang up on me and beat me up, I've got a perfectly good reason for this."

* * *

**A/N: Schindler's List Theme was the only title I'm familiar with in terms of cello/violin duets, though it might be a bit below Ichigo and Rukia's implied level of playing. Was the car name thing an overkill? Heh. **

**I also toyed with the idea of an extremely wealthy Renji and decided to put that in. He deserves a happier childhood, let's be honest. :)**


	4. Request

**[Edited June 24, 2014]**

Chapter Four: Request

Renji decided that being in the same room as his grandarents probably wouldn't do when making his pcase, so he led the two out the back sliding door, which was connected to the family's pool that was rarely used by anyone, despite it being cleaned regularly and the water kept chlorinated. A porchlight gave enough illumination on the scene to make the it appear rather comely and cozy with an orange glow and distinct shadows. Renji plopped down onto a lawn chair casually and gestured for Ichigo and Rukia to do the same.

"I," He began, putting his fingertips together as if he were making a business proposition, "need a big favor from both of you. But frankly, it could end up benefiting you two just as much as myself."

"Go on," Ichigo jumped right into the business mode and raised an eyebrow curiously, choosing a seat one away from Renji, consciously leaving the middle one open for Rukia.

"I need for you two to go to homecoming together. Like, _together_ together, just for that day." Renji held up his hands before neither could fit in a protest. "Let me explain! It would work out for all of us. You know the Ishida person in your homeroom who organizes all those bets and does the math and stuff? Black hair, glasses, kind of nerdy? I was talking to him recently, and he's been organizing a new round that began lately. It's based solely on who would be going with whom to homecoming, since a lot of the people in our school seemed to be into that kind of talk."

"Yes, of course I'm aware of all that." It was a lie. Rukia didn't often take part in these bets, and only really hear about the occasional huge one from Orihime, who was on closer terms with Uryu, or just through casual conversation. Leaving things to chance wasn't her favorite way to spend her money.

"Well recently, the odds for you two going together has actually dropped to being one of the lowest out of all the twelfth graders in the school. Rock bottom, let me tell you. It's kind of funny actually, how the two of the smartest people in our grade finally came dead last in something." He ventured a small laugh but then reverted back to a serious face when no one else joined in. "But this all means that we can make a pretty good investment and just rake in the money if you two do what I suggest. I'll put in money to Uryu saying that you two go together, and then you two _will_ go together, despite the odds. That would skewer all the statistics or whatever and my initial investment would be multiplied by who knows how much. We'll divide all the profit evenly, of course."

"No way." Rukia crossed her legs. She had to admit it wasn't entirely that horrible of an idea for him to come up with, even clever in some respects, but the line is drawn at Ichigo. With someone else (even Grimmjow, who probably wouldn't show up anyways), perhaps, but Ichigo would be too... personal, too much bad blood.

"Rukiaaa." It almost sounded like a plead. "Just for three hours. Or less if you really wanted to leave earlier."

Ichigo interjected, and to both their surprise, said with a slight shrug, "I'm down with the idea. A pretty sneaky way to cheat the system, if you ask me."

"Great!" Renji's eyes lit up immediately with hope. If he was able convince one half of the duo to side with him, then surely the other would be along for the ride sooner or later. What would tip the scale for Rukia was probably a particular incentive of some sort, though what that entailed, he had no idea. Surely there was _something_ he could offer that might make her temporarily discard her distaste for Ichigo. Perhaps it's simple: "I'll offer you half of the profits if you do this instead of a third. Take it out of my share."

"Didn't your grandmother ever tell you that bribery is immoral? Well, not that this idea is moral in slightest in the first place..." She said, a bit amused at the idea that the entire plan was riding on her decision alone. She then continued with a humph, "And besides, I _could _already be going with somebody. Didn't that ever cross your mind?"

The doubt that came her way from both parties was well-deserved. With a small tug at the edge of his mouth that seemed like a smile, Ichigo inquired, "May I ask with whom?"

"I said 'could,' alright? It's not fair for you to just automatically assumed that I'm partnerless for events such as homecoming. You never know, there could be have a secret, hot boyfriend clinging to my arms, dying for the chance to accompany me to the dance!" This earned a snigger from both boys, but she silenced them with a scowl. "That might be a bit exaggerated, but it's the same idea. But nonetheless, I don't want to go with him."

Instead of taking affront with her words, Ichigo simply asked, "Why's that?"

Rukia spared a glance at Renji and saw that he was frowning slightly, as if he thought she would undoubtedly go and spout something incredibly blunt, thus ending the current civilized conversation, reducing it to another shouting match. It wouldn't be the first time it happened, either, in all the years he had known her, and usually happened when she was in the company of Ichigo.

She decided to go another route, far removed from any personal attacks on the (many) flaws that Ichigo possessed, easing Renji's mind slightly about hostilities ensuing. "I wouldn't do that to Orihime."

"Orihime? What has she got to do with this?" The strawberry frowned.

Even Renji appeared amazed at his cluelessness. It was well known throughout Karakura High the affectionate feelings the Inoue girl had towards Ichigo, made quite blatant by her flustered manners while in his presence. (And it was also well known the affectionate feelings Uryu Ishida had towards her, but that seemed to be equally unrequited as her crush on Ichigo. Really quite of a mess this was.)

"You oaf, why else do you think?" She hadn't thought there was even a possibility that he didn't know. Everyone knew. "I hear people praising how smart you are, but I'm having serious doubts right now." _Oh, and now Orihime's going to kill me for telling him. But in my defense, he should have known by now, so it really makes no difference in the long run. I hope._

Something close to the truth finally clicked inside Ichigo, and he began looking troubled. "So you're saying that she... But I thought... wait." He stood up from his lawn chair, paused for a moment, and then sat back down again. His face was that of someone who might've discovered a new weapon of mass destruction – glad they made the discovery, but not entirely pleased with what it could amount to.

Renji bit his lips in an effort to not laugh at his friend's expression. Slapping him on the back, he said, "Congratulations on upgrading from ignorance to slightly less so."

"Hmph." Even Rukia couldn't help but crack a smile. _Orihime really is going to be mad, but she really doesn't need to hear this from me. Of course, just avoid ever bringing this up in conversation. Ah, problem solved.__  
_

"But is that the only reason?" Renji edged closer from his seat, sure that he found a loophole. "I mean, she could go with him to another dance, like the prom or something, and all you need to do is explain the situation just for homecoming. You and Ichigo would appear as the official couple while Orihime and him can be the later, unofficial one. But still pretty official though, if they want. Problem solved."

"I stand by my principals." Rukia uttered the same moment Ichigo took to saying, "But I never said that I'd go with Orihime." They paused and exchanged a look. More of a frown, really. Shifting the talking card back to herself, Rukia said, "I can't betray a friend's feelings like that, it's incredibly inconsiderate."

"My initially brilliant money-making scheme doesn't need to be turned this complicated! Orihime will be just fine."

"Renji, you don't even need the money." The tone was accusatory.

"I do!"

"And for what?" Rukia raised an eyebrow in doubt.

And suddenly, the Abarai backed down under the scrutinizing gaze. Elusiveness filled his face, and he was no doubt going to dance around the topic. Unconvincing even to himself, he made do with the excuse of, "Things here and there. Important things."

"How can I say yes to helping you when I don't even know what I'm helping you with?" Inside, she smiled joyously. There, now that the issue is pinned onto his lack of truthfulness, she actually did have a reason to object to the business proposition.

In an attempt to turn this around after being called out, he laughed it off, "It's nothing you need to worry about, no hiring assassins or anything illegal like that, I swear. Just help me out on this one."

She didn't believe his vague answer, not really, and rejected the offer yet again, but much more reluctantly than before. It was initially really by her own selfish accord that she can't make herself do it, but, but now there really were other reasons. Orihime wouldn't go for it, Uryu surely wouldn't like them cheating, and now, Renji's acting quite suspicious. That all thankfully lifted the responsibility of accepting off her back, but her conscience ended up taking a hit. She really should do it simply as a favor to Renji, her oldest friend, but her own self wouldn't let her.

There was a thing in chemistry she learned years back called Le Châtelier's Principal that stated whenever a chemical equation in equilibrium is disturbed, a force moves to counteract that and tries to restore the balance. The emphasis for her to accept the deal had lessened from the start, and that shift caused change in... _What are you doing? T__his isn't chemistry, Rukia, it's real life. Theory doesn't help here._

_Fine. _"If it's the money you lead, I can lend it to you. But otherwise, I can't, sorry." She played it off with a "what can you do" shrug.

Renji's tone took on a frustrated edge. "Can't, or won't?"

That caused her to rise swiftly from the lawn chair. "I'm sorry, but it's getting to be pretty late. There's still school tomorrow, so I really should be getting back home. I still have some homework that needs to be finished." She paused for a second, then, "Tell your grandmother I appreciate her offer of tea but that I'm not really a tea person. Good night."

Rukia walked off rather quickly.

"I didn't know she'd get this defensive."

Ichigo turned and also saw the mixed expression on Renji's face. Reassuringly, he slapped his friend on the back and said, "I don't know why you might need the money, but you don't have to explain. The plan sounds fun, anyway, giving Ishida a run for his money. I'll figure something out with Rukia and Orihime later."

* * *

That Wednesday didn't start out particularly well, even considering the dinner party last night. Renji hadn't spoken more than a few curt words with her when necessary, but he really had no right to be so angry. He asked for a bit too much, she refused. They'll make up sooner or later, she was sure, as they always did after disagreements. All that's needed was just some space. School, on the other hand, was filled with nothing but talk of homecoming, homecoming, homecoming, constantly reminding her and re-reminding her. Last night just made her so much less enthusiastic about the subject.

Rukia's friends all insisted on bugging her on choosing date as well, which didn't help the situation in the least. Was it really asking too much to just maybe branch off that subject a little?

"Of course it is," Momo had _tsk tsk_'d. "You have to get in the spirit of things!"

"If you need spirits, just go look in a wine cellar."

The list of couples were endless – well, too many to keep track of, anyway. Among her friends, Momo Hinamori had asked Toshiro Hitsugaya with some cute words and white flowers, Gin Ichimaru had asked Rangiku Matsumoto in a very unceremonious manner, and Hiyori Sarugaki and Shinji Hirako both mutually accepted that they were attending together without any flashy displays whatsoever, etc.

As unenthusiastic as Rukia was about the reoccurring topic, the fervor of it all did prove to be contagious, especially with the whisperings and rumors flying about on who was to be voted the king and queen. Taking advantage of that opportunity to further his own means, Uryu Ishida had apparently started another round of betting, and it proved to be one of the more successful ones so far.

"Did you hear, Rukia," Orihime said during their study hall period, grinning broadly. "Uryu told me that I'm on top of the list for the queen candidates!"

"Oh?" Rukia twirled a pencil in her hand quite expertly. This round, she had actually participated out of friendship loyalty. Twenty dollars. Though she had a good idea of what's coming, she still asked, "And who is it for the king?"

The intensity of the grin on Orihime's face grew wider. A laughed and shrugged like it was no big deal, but a light blush spread across her pale cheeks nonethless. "Take a wild guess, I dare you."

"Oh goody."

"If Uryu's an indicator of anything, and he's usually right about these things, then we'll most likely get the final dance together." She was referring to the customary waltz (or any other style, really, should they choose) done by the royalty at the culmination of the event.

Sure, Rukia wished for Orihime's dreams to come true, but she denied furiously that dancing with Ichigo Kurosaki was good enough of a dream. She doubted he was even able dance – him being graceful and rhythmic? Oh please. Tripping over his own feet while trying to do a box step was more like it. She actually

"But do you think I should be the one to ask him?" The ginger-haired girl bit her nails at the prospect of such a conflicting dilemma. "I don't really know if he is the type to initiate requests like this, since I've never really been in this position before, but he could turn out to be shy when it comes to stuff like this. I mean, Momo was the one who asked Hitsugaya because, you know, he's Hitsugaya, so there's really nothing wrong with the girl being the asker..." The string of sentences trailed off when she realized her friend was looking a bit distracted.

Rukia suddenly felt an urge to come straight out and inform her about Ichigo's unpromising reactions after being told the truth about Orihime instead of letting her be caught up in this illusory crush. Clearly his first priority wasn't to go to the dance with anyone of his choosing, otherwise he wouldn't have accepted Renji's offer. Rukia surely wasn't his first choice as a date.

She wanted to tell her, she really did, but that could turn out to be too messy to deal with. Orihime also had no clue, out of the loop much like Kurosaki, how outwardly obvious she was about her feelings or about Uryu, which means Rukia needed to explain everything from how she revealed her friend's feelings to Ichigo unknowingly and betrayed her trust to bringing Ishida into the picture, blah blah blah. The results would be too counterintuitive.

Yes, she'll just give this mess of relationships a wide berth. How the news of all these criss-crossing will reach their victims, she might never know, but it won't be from her.

But this also meant she absolutely cannot, _cannot_, show up to the dance with Kurosaki at her side. If anything, this gave her more of a reason to decline Renji's offer.

"You know what I think you should do? Just walk right up to him today and straight out state, 'I think we should go to homecoming together.' Be assertive. People like that, don't they?" Since she rejected the scheme, Ichigo wouldn't have any prior engagements that night, which gave him no real reason to turn down Orihime. Now it all works to both their benefits, and no one needed to be hurt.

"I can't do that! I mean, I can, but I don't think I should..." Orihime trailed off again, but came up with a suitable solution. "Maybe I can talk to his sisters, Yuzu and Karin, to try to find out more about how I should do this, maybe recruit them to help me."

Glad that her companion finally resolved her inner disputes, Rukia was about to shift the conversation to another topic when the PA system turned on. In a clear and bright voice, the announcer, Momo Hinamori, said with glee, "Students of Karakura! I'm happy to inform you all that the results of this year's senior elections have been tallied as of ten minutes ago. And due to the suspense this year's votes caused, having such a close running between two presidential candidates, we even double-checked the numbers to make sure."

Rukia's throat constricted. Oh yes, this was her moment, she was sure of it –

"Without further ado, my anxiously waiting classmates, the winners! The treasurer for this year is to be Uryu Ishida, and the secretary is to be Yumichika Ayasegawa..."

Reasonable choices, Rukia thought. Uryu was obviously the undisputed math person of their grade, ranking only after her and Ichigo, so the money job wouldn't have gone to anyone else. Meanwhile, Yumichika stuck out as slightly out of place, considering his questionable aesthetic choices and perfectionism. That could also be what made him extremely neat and organized, which made ideal characteristics for a secretary.

"...The historian and social chairperson are respectively Yachiru Kusajishi and Rangiku Matsumoto."

Yachiru probably ran for the sole purpose of getting the chance to mooch some snacks during the student council meets, but she was well-like enough. Historian wasn't an entirely complicated position, but she'd be able to slack off now and then. As for Rangiku, there really wasn't really anyone more social. No one.

"But of course, for the two positions that everyone's dying to find out..."

_Come on come on come on, say my name. Please._

"... Vice president position goes to Rukia Kuchiki, and president to Ichigo Kurosaki. Thanks to everyone who participated in voting, and I hope you all have a very pleasant rest of the day. Congratulations to all the officers!" Momo cut the connection and as the static faded, an eerie silence hung over Rukia's study hall room. The weight of everyone's glances seemed to fell on Rukia, and she felt herself go red.

It was procedural for the runner-up presidential candidate to become the vice president.

Which meant Ichigo received more votes than she did.

Which meant she lost.

Which meant he'd be the one on a higher standing, giving out orders and such.

Finding no better way to express her feelings on the matter, Rukia swore.

**A/N: I can never figure out if I like Orihime better with Uryu or Ulquiorra, so I've made do with writing in different ones for different fics. Also, the thing with the runner-up taking vice position was based off of the system for early American presidential elections.**

**Please review! **


	5. Small Victories

**[Edited as of June 25, 2014]**

Rukia laid herself down on her bed when she arrived home and closed her eyes, actually pleased by the latest developments within the student council. "Maybe being vice president isn't as bad as I painted it to be..."

* * *

After Momo had announced the election results on the PA system, Orihime attempted to console her friend, knowing that the results certainly wasn't what she had hoped for. Rukia feigned a convincing and lighthearted laugh, saying she was perfect fine with how everything turned out. Being voted runner-up was enough of an honor, she said. It'll still show up in my college transcript, she said. Not entirely convinced but more than willing to move on, the orange-haired girl tentatively tested the waters for a new topic of conversation.

Inside Rukia's head, though, she began to mope. It was the perfect embodiment of a sore loser, especially when it concerns the one specific person in question.

When all of Rukia's classes were done and over with – she barely paid any attention to the teachers' ramblings. Their lessons and concepts all blended together and happily pushed aside aside in the recesses of her mind – there was still the first ever class officers' meeting to attend. It was held in one of Karakura High's conference rooms, usually used for parent-teacher conferences or making up a test, and a large box of Oreos and some water bottles were provided as refreshment. The first meeting was intended to be very informal, more as an opportunity for all the elected officials to introduce and get to know each other more rather than actually working.

Yachiru immediately pounced upon the cookies while everyone else began chattering about how great this year was going to be, how much fun they'll have working, everything of that nature. It appeared that cooperation was mostly not going to be a problem, seeing how well everyone else got along.

That cooperation met a hitch when Ichigo greeted her in a most crass manner, "You look kinda pissed off."

"I'm completely fine," she adopted a forced smile and added at the end, a bit snippy, "_Mr. President."_

He frowned and went on even more insensitively, "If you're angry about not getting the president position, don't take it out on me."

"_I'm_ _fine_," she repeated and took a seat at the chair adjacent to the head of the table just to show how fine she was. She even waved her hand a little, dismissive, "Not angry in the slightest. You won president over me, so what? I'm not the type to be hung up over silly little losses." Except that she was, and he knew it.

"Alright, if you say so." If she really was going to deny it this much, he won't press. This will probably turn into an argument if he became more insistent, so Ichigo simply shifted his attention and started a conversation with Rangiku. After all, he did promise Renji that he'll work something out with Rukia about the dance scheme, and she certainly won't agree to it if they continue to fight like they did before. He had to strategize and maybe stay off her bad side.

Perhaps ten minutes of chattering amongst themselves, Ichigo finally called everyone to be quiet. He took his rightful seat besides Rukia and shuffled through a stack of papers. "Okay, now that we've gotten familiarized with each other, I'll give everyone a completely snapshot of everything that's going to happen this year, and then you all will be free to leave. Simple and quick."

They all nodded their confirmations.

"First order of business concerns all the dances for this year, since I'm sure that's a popular subject with the student body from all the, ah, talk lately." Furtively, he shot a quick glance at Rukia. "We must figure out an acceptable budget for Homecoming, Snowball, and prom."

Snowball, as the name obviously suggests, occurred during the winter, and was a girl's choice dance. That tended to be nothing but drama fodder. But it was created all in good intentions and for equal gender opportunities' sake.

"From the budgets plans, we can then decide how to actually get that money. Probably through organized fundraising, and if anyone has an insanely rich grandmother, donations. I'm certain that Uryu can figure it all out later, so I'll just leave it to him." He looked at the treasurer.

"Yes, and while you're at it, I'm quite willing to take up everyone else's job as well." Was he joking, or was that actually spite? Nonetheless, it did cause everyone to pause.

"Work on your jokes, Ishida." Ichigo said, taking the humor route, and grabbed an Oreo. Continuing, "Next, we will also be the ones to organize the senior trip, which includes choosing a destination and making arrangements with hotels and getting the information out to all the seniors."

"New York City," Rangiku eagerly slammed a fist onto the table. Her eyes immediately took to a dreamy atmosphere along with her voice, and she began listing justifications immediately, probably having planned them from the beginning, "This was pretty much the sole reason I ran for office. Do you know anyone who wouldn't want to go to New York? Please, tell me somebody who wouldn't want to go to New York. And if we _aren't_ going to New York, the trip just be a waste of a perfectly good opportunity. Oh man, all the Broadway shows, shopping at designer stores, walking through Times Square..." She trailed off, lost in a newfound reverie.

"How many 'New York's' was that?" Yumichika mouthed on the side towards Yachiru.

Ichigo shook his head instead. "I'm sure New York is great, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there, which is in a few months. No need to get ahead of ourselves. Besides, there needs to be a final vote, and –"

Rukia finally piped up, a sly look on her face and an objective in her mind. "You know, I second Rangiku for going to New York. Yachiru, think of all the food vendors that are set up on the streets, just within an arm's reach. And Yumichika, the word 'beautiful' pretty much defines the city. All the beautiful models, clothes, buildings, you name it, really."

The two immediately fell under her web of words, eyes uncharacteristically bright at the promise of such things.

Now only Ichigo and Uryu remain unconvinced, but winning over the latter wouldn't be too difficult. Pretend to be musing to herself, Rukia said, "Oh, I'm sure Orihime would love to go there, and all the tourist attractions like the museums and Wall Street... Say, Ichigo, we _could_ hold a vote right now if everyone wants to."

"Well, I –" He was interrupted by a unified shout of approval from Yachiru, Rangiku, and Yumichika. Even Uryu sort of shrugged his approval.

Before Ichigo could protest any further, Rukia cut him off and announced in her most diplomatic voice, "Those who say yes to New York City, please shout 'aye.'" There came three resounding "aye's" and a much quieter "sure, why not." She gave a crafty smile at the strawberry, triumphant.

"We haven't decided upon anything yet! The president gets the final say, and I say we don't need to decide this right now." His face flushed in frustration.

A stream of complaints flew in, and Ichigo attempted to counter each one:

"I thought this was a democracy." "Oh, save your democracy, Rukia."; "But what about the Broadway musicals? I need to see _Wicked_ at least once before I die!" "You can see _Wicked_ in our local theater."; "There'll be Chinese food, Italian food, Indian food... Ichigo!" "Yachiru, we have those restaurants right around Karakura."; "I _must_ get some beauty tips from the New York stylists and hairdressers." "Yumichika, I'm sure your mother thinks you're beautiful, just the way you are."

But they kept flying in, and as a last resort, Ichigo used a stray stapler as a gavel and gave it a resounding pound on the desk. "Order in the court!"

"This is not a court," Rukia smirked, admiring her newest handiwork and glad that she managed to get a rise out of him. Look how the order so easily disintegrated with the slightest provocations.

"You're not helping," he scowled at her direction. "Order in the council!"

Finally, some of the shouting subsided. Rukia looked slightly disappoint at the conclusion of the commotion, but brightened when another victory was soon in sight, because Ichigo gave in to the demands of New York purely out of desperation. Although it was only after no one was willing to discuss anything else for twenty minutes that he did it, the originally intended cause was the same.

They went on to discuss the school musical.

* * *

Rukia allowed herself a grin after recalling that recent event. It put her in such a good mood that she finished all her homework in record time, with some radio music playing softly in the background.

The clock read six when she was done, and she went down to the kitchen to grab some makeshift dinner. Cooking was definitely not a forte of hers, so the best she could do was some pre-packaged ramen or microwaved mac and cheese. Byakuya was never home around this time, but even if he were, the quality of the food still wouldn't increase. "Bad cook" seems to run within the family although technically, she wasn't biologically related to him. Acquired trait, maybe.

Once all the water finished boiling, Rukia poured some into a ramen cup and brought it up to her room. One of the best things about being home alone so often was the liberty to bring food to wherever she desired without worrying about being chastised.

While eating the over-salted mess, she peered inquisitively out of her room's window to the Kurosaki household.

Unlike hers, Ichigo's home almost always was filled with activity. What with the dog they had, the fraternal twins, and a crazy father, the house was a recipe for noise. A record for the longest stretch of peace they ever had was probably just one day, and that was only due to Isshin having been stricken with a terrible sore throat. No yelling at all that day. The silence of her own home hit her hard just then, and the music playing was a poor substitute for actual conversations.

She'd like some noise, too. And surely they had better food than this store-bought ramen... a sigh escaped before she could snatch it back.

The Kurosakis had often invited her over, aside from Ichigo, but she usually declined politely, because of Ichigo. However, her earlier victory with New York actually made her rethink their previous animosity. It wasn't that she could become best friends with him now out of the blue (because that idea made her queasy, honestly), but she found that she could actually be within a distance of him and not keep a mental list of various complaints. Not many, anyway.

Maybe, maybe she could just stroll over there and mooch some food, since Ichigo's presence has evolved into more of an unfortunate inconvenience rather than an active antagonizer. She was on good terms with Yuzu and Karin, so they wouldn't mind. And Isshin would probably be beyond caring, considering the type of person he was.

But no, her pride stopped her. She couldn't simply show up at their doorsteps and demand food with no better reason that she felt lonely. What would Ichigo think? She'd look ridiculously pathetic, and that's not how a vice president of Karakura High should act.

Even after finishing the noodles, her stomach kept singing a glorious chorus of, "Still hungry... still hungry..." There was nothing better in the kitchen to satiate the chanting.

In an effort to block the grumblings, she walked over to where her violin case lies and decided the practice – oh, the duet, of course! She needed a reason to head over there, and it was lying in plain sight, hidden by her own ignorance.

Pleased by her creative thinking, she snatched up her instrument and the necessary sheet music and exited her house with grace. She pressed the doorbell to the neighboring house, but not before finger-combing though her hair once and straightening out the crinkles on her dress. A barking sounded, and a familiar, masculine voice called out, "Hold up, I'm coming!"

The look of surprise on Ichigo's face would've been perfect blackmail material, she thought, had a picture been taken. He quickly composed himself and cleared his throat, "Rukia, ah, why are you here?"

She held up her violin and said in a dignified manner, "I was thinking we really need to get started on practicing our duet music."

"Oh," he still looked a bit caught off-guard, but stepped back from the door. "I mean, sure, feel free to step inside. We're still eating dinner, but I'll be done in a second."

His entire family, save the puppy, was gathered at the dining room table, but Isshin and Karin were arguing more than actually eating. Something about which soccer team was better and why. Yuzu looked up when Rukia, who suddenly became unsure about herself, entered the room. The younger girl's face transformed into a grin and she jumped up and offered a seat. "Oh hey, Rukia! We're just about to eat dessert. If you want to join us, you can."

Issin snapped to attention and welcomed Rukia with arms wide open. "Well look who it is! And of course she'll be joining us for dessert, Yuzu made it herself. Brownies baked with three kinds of chocolate." He took Rukia's shoulders and insisted that she set down her violin and sit in an empty chair which happened to be right next to the one Ichigo originally occupied.

"Well, if you really want me to," Rukia twiddled her fingers and tried to refuse halfheartedly, doing it only for show.

Karin looked at her, then her gaze drifted to her older brother, and she smirked. "Wow, Ichigo. First time you brought a girl home besides Tatsuki. We should get you a medal or something at the crafts store next time to mark this achievement."

"Wow, I really do appreciate the support my family's giving through all my hardships," He covered his urge to glance over at Rukia's reaction with sarcasm. "Now where were we with the brownies?"

Yuzu walked out of the kitchen followed by Isshin with a baking pan full of chocolate, sugar, and fatty goodness. Everyone pounced on the food, and every tiny crumb was consumed within seconds. The girl looked pleased at her work.

Any thoughts of practicing a duet were quickly vanquished when Isshin insulted the merits of Chappy, and Rukia and Yuzu were quick to come to their favorite television show's defence. What started as a simple comment about the childishness of the rabbit transpired into a full-out family feud plus Rukia. It was only after Ichigo reminded her of the duet that everyone reluctantly reverted back to being partly civil with each other again.

"Oh yes, the music." She scratched her head, slightly embarrassed at having set aside the importance of her entire reason for the visit.

"How about we go practice at your house. It's a bit loud over here."

Karin whistled after hearing that, to which Ichigo responded by yelling her to stop that.

Though she was reluctant to leave, the suggestion was for the best. "Fine. My brother still isn't home, so nobody will get on our case if we happen to break a few people's eardrums."

Ichigo ran up to his bedroom to retrieve his instrument, and Rukia was courteous enough in front of his family to hold the door open so he wouldn't bump the delicate wood frame into anything, even if it were in a case. While they walked down the sidewalk together, Isshin leaned down towards Yuzu and commented, "When do you think I'll achieve my status as a grandfather?"

"Dad, don't get ahead of yourself." She patted his arm reassuringly. "We need to attend their wedding first."

Rukia pretended that nothing of the sort happened and continued walking, though her reddened face was hidden by her back. She was in their favor after the food, and had no grounds to put up a fight. Let them have their fun.

Meanwhile, a completely audible string of swears arose from the strawberry. He whirled around to face them with entirely red cheeks. "Can you two please _shut up and go do something more productive instead of gossiping like those old ladies who drink far too much tea_!"

Giggling, his little sister closed the door though switched to the window to observe. There, she wouldn't be as obvious from in front the curtains.

Ichigo shot one last dirty look in the direction of his house and turned towards Rukia, who was already at her doorway and was opening the door. He caught up to her and commented, in an effort to alleviate the damage, "My family is batshit insane, to put it nicely. Pay them no mind."

"It's not necessarily a negative thing." She offered, not wanting to admit openly that their generosity made them grow on her. Aftering entering her home, she told him to get set up and tune his cello in the living room, the ran and got two music stands from upstairs.

As they took their seats with chairs tilted forty-five degrees at each other, Ichigo said, "You know, I still think you should still get in on Renji's plan, even if only as a favor to a friend."

Rukia looked a bit surprised at him suddenly bringing this up out of nowhere, but pursed her lips and said, "I'll pass, thank you. I can be a perfectly fine friend without helping him out on stuff like this if I really don't want to. You pressuring me is not going to change anything."

"I'm not pressuring you, I just think there has to be a valid reason why he wanted to do this. Even if he doesn't _say _it, there's still a reason why. We just need to give it the benefit of the doubt."

"Please, can we just practice and not get off track?" She sounded impatient to move on from the subject.

Deciding that this was enough pushing on the topic for today, Ichigo relented and left it alone for now. They got right down to work with a warm-up scale.

The truly breathtaking thing about making two honor students work together was their seeming inability to become distracted. Ichigo appeared fine to let Rukia take charge of the practice session, not complaining once when she insisted on replaying a refrain seven times just because something sounded off. As for her, she waved goodbye to her previous prejudices towards him, if only for now, and focused solely on the playing.

There was an occurrence, though, when he kept messing up one measure near the end. Rukia was frustrated enough to stop and check exactly "what the fuck is written on your music," and she leaned over his chair, reaching over with a pencil in hand.

Well, she was close enough for some of her stray hair to tickle his cheeks, and so he tried to casually, ever so casually, brush it off.

Needless to say, he miscalculated and ended up bumping the top of her chest. She leaped back with an alarmed yelp, then proceeded to curse at an extremely flustered Ichigo, who tried hurriedly turned to defend. "Y-your hair was in my eyes, so I was just trying to get it off. I wasn't trying to do anything!"

Rukia continued to glare at him. Then she punched him in the arm. "And that's payback."

"It was an accident!"

She contemplated him for a moment, as if trying to detect the truth in that statement, and then apparently decided on the affirmative. "Well, now you've ruined the working mood." Ichigo looked unsure of how to respond to that, so she sighed and said, "I guess we'll just call it a day. That was enough practice for one session, and Byakuya will be home soon."

"That dark, enigmatic brother of yours?" He cracked a grin at that. Rumors of the man circulated pretty regularly throughout Karakura High, and his continued absence and good looks merely added to all that. Even Ichigo has barely seen him more than a couple of times throughout that year.

"He works hard, that's all. Nothing dark or enigmatic about that."

As if right on schedule, there came the sound of someone fumbling for keys at the front door.

**A/N: Most of the things they discussed in the council meeting will become very relevant to the story. That is, if I can actually sucker down and keep up with an updating schedule. **

**Thanks to all who continue to read this and all the reviewers! :)**


	6. Family Affairs

**A/N: So I had gotten a guest reviewed that said they had gotten bored with all the "indirect speeches," so I just want to say, in order for the plot to progress, Rukia and Ichigo do need to speak with people other than each other. So if that ain't your cup of tea, feel free to opt out.**

**[Edited as of June 25, 2014. Really minor changes.]**

"He's not usually home this early," Rukia murmured to herself when she heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock. Turning towards Ichigo, she commanded, "Quick, straighten up!"

"What?" He blinked in confusion.

"You have to look presentable if Byakuya is to see you here." Made short-tempered by his lack of a response, she quickly reached over and pulled on the creases in his shirt collar, scruplulously inspecting for any mishaps that might deem it untidy. She even attempted to pat down his hair into a less messy style, much to his chagrin, but to no avail.

All this correcting and criticizing succeeded in doing nothing but put an uncomfortable expression on Ichigo's face, and he further tried to deflect her hands. "Hey, it's not like I'm asking him for your hand or anything. I don't need to look proper for music practice. I'm your neighbor and this is nothing formal in the least."

Rukia tried to explain – that it is utterly unacceptable for Byakuya to see him like that, the mess he is – but was interrupted by her brother's actual entrance into the room.

'Distracted' was never a word anyone would use to describe the man on a daily basis, yet it was the only thing that came to Rukia's mind when she greeted him. It was even a few seconds before he actually noticed Ichigo's presence in the room. "And who might this be?"

Meeting him up close and personal for the first time, Ichigo was a bit disappointed that this person was what the hype had been about before. He nonetheless offered a hand to shake. "Ichigo Kurosaki. I live next door."

Instead of shaking it, Byakuya simply looked especially unimpressed, with the expression bordering on indifference. In a flat tone, he said, "Of course, Isshin Kurosaki's son"

Ichigo retracted his hand, taking that to be an affront but, fortunately for Rukia, held his tongue and made do with a glower.

When Byakuya didn't make any more inquiries as to what the strawberry was doing in his house, Rukia decided to go ahead and fill up the silence with an explanation. "We were just rehearsing, if you were wondering, for the upcoming orchestra concert."

He nodded in brief acknowledgement. "I'm sure you will make me proud. Now if the two of you will excuse me, there is important business that I must attend to."

Rukia watched his departure with a kind of quiet incredulity, probably due to the unanticipated compliment, while Ichigo scowled (well, a scowl that was even more so than his normal one). He muttered to himself in a vexed tone, "What's that suppose to mean, 'of course, Isshin Kurosaki's son' in a tone like that? It's not like he's the prime minister of this country and everyone else is supposedly inferior. Is he always this high and might?"

She didn't hesitate in defending her brother against such vilifying words, "Don't talk about him like that! He'll hear you."

He became defensive as well and folded his arms, "Hey, he was the one who looked at me like I was somehow beneath him. Why are you sticking up for him when he's the one insulting me?"

Sticking her nose up in the air, Rukia also folded her arms and said, "He's also the one who took care of me since I was five years old, so be careful what you say about him around me." All her former vexations against Ichigo that she temporarily put aside for the rehearsal came rushing back, made worse by a slight feeling of guilt that she might now have been so adamant if not for Byakuya's previous compliment, however minor. As much as she was thankful, she still had to admit that he did appear to many observers as cold and overtly arrogant. But that did not mean he _was_ cold and overtly arrogant.

"I guess you might call this an impasse." Ichigo had his arms folded now as well, and the two were engaged in a rather full-out glaring war, though he still held the height advantage.

But the home field advantage shouldn't be so eagerly discarded. "Wrong, no impasse. Since this is my home, I do have the authority to kindly ask you to leave." She smirked at him.

"I –"

"So if you would! I believe our practice session has been long over." With some effort, she pushed him towards the door, and he stepped out the door after giving his best look of indignance. She continued with an obviously mocking, "Goodbye and goodnight."

The door wasn't closed for more than a few seconds before a knock sounded. She opened it and said, "I thought I –"

He interrupted, "My cello."

"Oh." She reluctantly let him back inside to retrieve his instrument.

* * *

Byakuya's unusual distractedness continued for another week, but Rukia was blissfully unaware of it, having been caught up in a whirlwind of her own happenings. She did notice that he had been arriving home earlier than usual, though that did not impact the home atmosphere in the slightest. The elder Kuchiki usually contented himself with the privacy of his own study, working on who-knows-what. Which is to say, not too different from before, so she did not pry.

Meanwhile, Karakura High differed from the Kuchiki household in that it was bustling with activity, hardly stopping for any one person's feelings.

Yachiru had not been present for the latest few student council meetings, apparently required to stay home and recuperate after breaking her left arm and wrist from an awkward fall. Due to her absences, she sent a friend to the meetings, Kenpachi Zaraki, as a go-betweener. That ultimately worked out poorly because of his unfounded desire to relentlessly pick a fight with Ichigo despite having no reason to do so.

"I challenge you to a no-holds-barred brawl after this meeting, right in front of the school. We'll see who's a better warrior, Kurosaki," Kenpachi had said with a maniacal grin.

"Please tell me, someone, when is Yachiru coming back to school?"

Meanwhile, Ichigo had backed off from speaking to her ever since their frivolous argument the other day, which alleviated a load off Rukia's back. Not having to deal with him or scramble her mind to come up with an insult when she does speak to him was a relief. But that didn't mean she was totally free of the guy, because Orihime had another agenda in mind.

Her friend was more conflicted than ever about homecoming, especially when a slight, _slight_ mishap occurred after Uryu finally managed to work up enough courage and asked her to the dance. In a moment of extreme surprise and instinct, she answered yes. Which was extremely unfortunate, since she now didn't have the heart to retract her answer.

"Maybe this is a sign from above," Rukia said during one of their venting phone calls. "A sign that you aren't meant to go with Ichigo Kurosaki."

"That's not it, I'm sure, I just wasn't thinking at that moment," Orihime protested quietly. "And Uryu's nice and all, but..."

"But he's a bit lacking in the crazy orange hair and a perpetual scowl department, so it's just not the same, am I right?"

"Ah, now you're just teasing me." A small sigh escaped Orihime's mouth. "Momo's got it so easy with Hitsugaya. No drama, no uncertainty whatsoever. I mean, she's practically set for marriage and growing old and decrepit with the guy."

The lamenting continued for a few more minutes, but ultimately ended when both parties had to hang up and finish some last-minute homework. All the quips passed down about how senior year in high school would be a breeze turned out to be nothing but lies. Having to take challenging courses to appear well-rounded to universities did not help in Rukia's workload situation.

And while she was upstairs in her attic bedroom working on an AP Statistics project, Byakuya occupied himself with... something else. Something that did not come into fruition until Friday.

_He met the woman that Friday morning at a pre-designated coffee shop. Compared to her ordering a complex latte of some sort, he simply requested for some water. It was her who requested this meeting, and it was her who initiated the conversation as well. "So you finally believe me, Mr. Kuchiki?"_

_He glanced down at the stack of papers sitting in front of him that were the results of his recent efforts. "After extensive research into your claims, yes, I have decided to accept your word for it."_

"_So can I speak with her?"_

"_If you wish."_

_Her face transformed into a pleasant smile, and she leaned forward with renewed glee. A gulp of her coffee later, she exclaimed, "What time? I get off work really late today, but maybe I could ask to leave a bit early."_

"_No need for that, late is fine. Whenever it's convenient." But suddenly, he began to feel slightly unsure at his open invitation._

Friday started in a lighter tone, which put Rukia in an exceptionally good mood. She wasn't fazed and even took effort to respond agreeably when Ichigo made casual conversation as if no fight had occurred while they both waited at the bus stop, inquiring into her essay's thesis for a class they shared. It probably had to do with Tatsuki not being able to make it to school and him having no one to speak with beside his sisters.

Keigo Asano was his usual self throughout the ride to school, and Yachiru came back that day to everyone's relief, a huge arm cast in tow.

Another great piece of news came when Renji decided to start speaking to her again in the beginning of French class (they both took it as a blow-off class, though she needed it greatly more than he did). Their interactions were sporadic at best since the incident at the Abarai's dinner party, and this relieved some tensions. It went a little like this as the teacher was walking around checking homework:

"Hey Rukia, do you have the second page to the worksheet done?"

"Yeah. It's just a bunch of verb conjugations, nothing too complicated."

"Can I borrow it for a second?"

She handed it to him, and he snatched it up, quickly copying the backside of the page and returning it.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Though there were no formal concessions from either side, it was communicated that it was alright to set aside the whole incident and start speaking normally again. The period of friendship limbo was over,and the two returned at least somewhat to normal.

The student council meeting that day also went smoother than usual, thanks to the absence of Kenpachi now that Yachiru came back. Several minor decisions were made, and Rangiku informed them that she had already started making packing plans for New York.

Once Rukia returned home, the first warning sign should have been the fact that Byakuya was already home.

However, due to the blissful euphoria of such a decent day, she thought naught of it. She conjectured that maybe he was turning more like their neighbor, Isshin, and wished to spend more time at home.

The tenacious hold of obliviousness continued when Rukia didn't have to prepare her own dinner. That didn't mean Byakuya prepared it, either, because he ordered out. But still, it was the thought that counted. She did have enough sense to ask why, but that was easily appeased by a noncommittally vague answer.

After three slices of delivery pizza, she went back to her bedroom, slapped on a pair of headphones, and amused herself for quite a while on the internet.

Right around the ten o'clock marker, a knock sounded at the door to her room, and she jerked up from her chair in surprise. Her headphones, still attached to her computer, were violently jerked out of her ears by the movement. She hurried to open the door and found Byakuya standing there, mid-knock.

He dove right into the point with no precursor, "If you would follow me downstairs, there is someone here who just arrived and wishes to speak with you."

_A visitor? It's a bit late for that._

Still, Rukia managed to hold in her tongue for the moment and walked after him, all the way down into the living room. This aforementioned person was sitting on the couch, her hands folded neatly on her lap and waiting patiently. The woman looked unfamiliar... no, no, her features did hold an echo to Rukia's own, and the same violet eyes gazed back at her.

"Who is this?' Rukia asked and furrowed her eyebrows, growing suspicious.

"You didn't tell her about me at all?" The woman turned towards Byakuya with an accusatory look after a brief moment of disappointment.

"I assumed that you might've wanted to inform her of the story yourself. You _were_ the one who requested an audience with her in the first place, not me." He blinked once, as calm as ever.

Rukia interrupted, tired of all this chattering as if she weren't present and anxious to be in the know, "Please, who are you?" This time, the question was aimed directly at the strange woman.

"I'm Hisana." When that name alone didn't elicit any of her expected reactions, she added, "Your sister."

"Oh, I didn't know you had a relative over, Brother." The Kuchiki's were distant people, and her brother even more so by their normal standards. Rarely had Rukia ever seen one of them in person, either, as he tended to call a rain check on most of the family gatherings and holiday get-togethers. This would mark the first time that another Kuchiki has personally paid a visit to their house.

Hisana shook her head at the misunderstanding. "No, Rukia, I'm your biological sister, not a relative of your adoptive brother's. I know it's been, it's been a very long time, so you probably don't remember me at all. Still, I did come here thinking you know at least a little." She gave Byakuya an annoyed look off to the side. "Nonetheless, I've been searching for your whereabouts ever since I finished school and got a degree, yet there were no – Rukia, Rukia, where are you going? Hold up, just hear me out because –"

As if propelled by an unknown, external force, Rukia mechanically stalked away towards the front door and walked out with a slam, cutting off the flow of words from Hisana. Disregarding the cold night air that hit her, she started into a slow sprint down the streetlight-illuminated sidewalk with no destination in mind.

"Sister, my ass," her mind played on a repeating soundtrack. It kept to the beat of her heart that pounded with the sudden exercise.

She finally stopped and tried to catch her breath after arriving at the end of her street. Glancing up at the softly glowing moon, she flushed, though she was uncertain whether it was out of anger (because how dare that woman walk casually into her home after more than a decade, acting like everything was fine and dandy) or embarrassment (had she _really_ just stormed out thoughtlessly like an overemotional teenager? This was the kind of stuff that happened in soap operas, not here.). Probably a healthy mixture of both.

"I can't go back if she's still there. And what's Byakuya going to say?" She announced to the stillness in the air. It didn't answer back. "I could call Orihime or Momo and ask to spend the night at their house."

After reaching down at her pockets, she came to the unfortunate realization that her cellphone was left sitting in her bedroom. This setback resulted in her wandering around the neighborhood for twenty more minutes, doing her best to think of anything but that Hisana, until the temperature dropped into an extremely uncomfortable region.

The strange car that had to be Hisana's was still parked outside when Rukia had circled back, and so she kept her vow and did not even think of going in.

But she had to go somewhere. She was practically freezing outside in just a flimsy t-shirt and sweatpants.

Rukia grew more desperate, and that desperation did not leave much room for rational contemplation. Knowing she would regret this in the morning, she attempted to catch the attention of Ichigo Kurosaki, whose bedroom lights were still on next door.

She decided against ringing their doorbell, since all the lower-level lights were out, which signified that the twins were most likely asleep, and maybe Isshin as well. Making a racket was out of the option. All her intelligence managed to scrape up one measly, one-the-spot plan. She selected an ideal pebble from the asphalt leading to the garage and aimed at his window up on the third floor. It missed, by a wide margin.

The next try came close, but close wouldn't cut it, so she hunted for some more pebbles. She finally succeeded after two more tries, and the tiny rock ricocheted harmlessly off his glass pane with a harmless _thud_. He didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me, Kurosaki. Are you deaf?" She gritted her teeth and tried once more, this time hitting it bull's-eye.

Thankfully, the sound was loud enough this time around, and his curtains ruffled before a messy head of ginger, just barely visible in the moonlight, popped out of the window. "_Who the fuck is throwing_ – oh, what are you doing here, Rukia?"

She glanced down at herself and stifled a shiver. Her presentation must look rather pathetic, but she has reached a shameless point of beyond caring at the moment. "Can I come in?"

"Hold on, go to the front door and wait." His head disappeared, and she followed his instruction. A minute later, the door opened with a dim lamp lighting up the living room. "What are you doing? Are you locked out or something?"

Rukia had her arms folded in an effort to preserve some body heat. Casuallly, as if such a thing happened everyday, she asked, "Ah, can I... come inside?"

He regarded her for a brief moment before deciding that was probably for the best and took a step back in invitation. "Fine, but you owe me an explanation."

**A/N: If it needed to be clarified, Hisana and Byakuya do NOT know each other yet before this meetup occurred. And her side of things will be made clear in the next chapter.**

**Thanks to everyone who has read/added it to their alerts/reviewed! **


	7. Selfishness

**[Edited as of June 26, 2014. Some small changes.]**

Chapter 7: Selfishness

"I don't owe you a thing, explanations or otherwise," said Rukia, who nonetheless stepped inside Ichigo's doorway and sneaked a peek back out towards the sidewalk. To make sure no one bore witness to this display, of course.

"Hm. Says the one who is currently in my house," Ichigo scoffed, perfectly covering up any hints of his original surprise at the unexpected visit. Unbeknownst to him, a light layer of pink had crept onto his cheeks, but Rukia's nervous, flitting eyes took no notice. "You know, people might begin to talk if they see you in this questionable circumstance at this questionable hour."

She waved it off with more confidence than she felt. "They can take their questions where it's actually wanted. Are you going to invite me up or not?"

He peered down at her wide eyes and had a sudden, rapid-fire stream of thoughts that was scarily similar to something Keigo might come up with (which made him redden even more). That was not a good sign, for anyone aside from Asano himself. Thankfully, all that disappeared as fast as it came, and he was left chastising his inner self for... whatever that moment had been. Which was just a slip, of course.

The period of silence made Rukia suddenly unsure, and she began considering something she hadn't before: what if he refused to let her stay? Her original plan left no room for that, but she couldn't go back with Hisana still back there with Byakuya. "Is that... a no, then?"

Her voice made Ichigo snap out of his reverie, and he scratched the back of his head. She finally noticed the inexplicable red on his cheeks. He relented, "Okay, do whatever, just don't be loud because trust me, my dad waking up right now would not work out for either of us." Oh, how he recalled that day when he returned home from the duet rehearsal at the Kuchiki's place.

Isshin apparently had no sense of personal privacy, because he didn't understand that asking about his son's sex life was not an acceptable conversation topic. Especially not in front of Yuzu and Karin, with the latter promptly miming a gagging motion in the background.

Something about this, him leading her up to his room, gave off a surreal quality that couldn't be accurately pinpointed. This wasn't the first time, after all. A social studies project a few years back had landed them in the same position, except he had been the one to actually extend an invitation.

She seemed to remember that as well after they finally reached the attic, giving the place a comprehensive once-over.

The window that she hit with a pebble earlier was still pushed open, and a cold draft blew in and seemed to pull Rukia's hair into a ruffled mess. Ichigo's hair, however, stayed the same to no one's surprise.

While he rushed to close the it so no papers on his desk would be blown away, she took a seat on his blue bedsheets and complained, "Geeze, don't you have a heater or something?"

He rolled his eyes, "Well, I _just_ closed the window, so what'd you expect? The one, by the way, that you made me open with all the rock throwing nonsense, so whose fault is it really? You know, you could have even broken the glass." There was a satisfied smirk on his face when Rukia couldn't come up with anything except, "Shut up," which was an obvious admission of defeat. He continued, "And if you're really so cold, then just wear a jacket."

"Oh, that's right, I can just teleport to my closet, grab a sweater inconspicuously, and then sneak away," she crossed her legs.

"Fine, then take one of mine and stop complaining,." Ichigo sat down on the seat in front of his computer desk – which swiveled – and whirled around to face his laptop right, when Rukia flushed at the casualness of his proposition.

"I don't need any of your sweaters..." They weren't even close friends, goddammit, so he shouldn't offer something up like that so carelessly. But he had offered her his house, so that really destroyed the whole argument. Besides, she _was_ cold, and she _was_ wearing a short-sleeved tee-shirt, which did nothing for thermal protection. Either the temperature win out, or her pride will, but that battle was really fighting at a close stalemate.

Instead of continuing this bickering, having known her long enough to know the inevitable outcome of them being at a standstill on any issues, Ichigo decided to be proactive and walked over to his closet. A few seconds later, he came up with a spectacularly bland, gray sweatshirt that has seen better days. She certainly wouldn't accept a newer or more attractive one. Muttering quietly under his breath, he said, "here," and threw it to her. He quickly turned back to his computer and thanked whatever God out there that heartbeats are not audible to anyone but its owner.

Rukia fingered the fabric with a light touch, and after finding it incredibly soft, finally humbled down enough to put it on – all with a "I'm doing this because it's cold and I have no choice" air about her. There was a pleasant smell with the cloth.

She was rolling up the oversized sleeves when Ichigo spun around to face her again, "So does your presence here have anything to do with the suspicious tan car parked outside your house?"

"How did you know?" She frowned.

"For some reason, I just don't think your brother is the type of person to own a car like that. Tell me, is it a girlfriend of his that you don't like and therefore has to avoid? An annoying friend or coworker that smells like they haven't had a bath since last year? Maybe a –"

"Nothing like that," she interjected. "A relative."

"I see." Ichigo nodded. He had plenty of experiences with those before, and a very erratic one was living right underneath the Kurosaki's roof. "So then it has to be a Kuchiki shunned by the majority of his family, coming to your brother for some temporary salvation or help."

"Stop it with the conspiracy theories, will you?" A look around revealed that there was nothing really suitable to throw his way, so she settled for an odd-looking lion stuffed animal that was within her reach. "It's nothing like that."

He caught it nicely and set it on the desk. "Then what's it like?"

"She's not a Kuchiki relative, she's a 'me' relative, or so she claims. My supposed sister, to be exact." Rukia scowled at the thought, rose from the edge of the bed, and went to confirm that yes, Hisana's car was still unfortunately there. What could they be talking about? Byakuya wasn't the type to tolerate company for long.

"So what if she's your sister? Is there something I'm missing? I mean, you're here, which obviously means that something went down."

Her previous annoyance restored by the sight of the car and a bit annoyed that he swindled her into giving this much of an explanation, Rukia shook her head and said, "You don't understand, it's complicated."

"I'd like to."

"Just lay off, will you?"

"I'm just being curious! You come to my windows in the middle of the night and expect me to sit by and not ask a single question?" His voice rose with hers.

And at that, she hid behind a snap, "This isn't therapy session. I'm here because I just needed a place to stay until that woman leaves, that's all, and I couldn't get ahold of Momo or Rangiku." Halfway through, she realized the unnecessary harshness of her words, but as objects in motion tended to stay in motion, it all flew out with no pause. The buildup of frustration wasn't even specifically directed at him. Had Byakuya or Hisana been there, they they would've been subjected to her tirade.

"So... I'm just a last resort option? Utilized when you need it?" Something in Ichigo's expression sharpened and grew defensive.

On a roll from before, she continued, "Yes."

"Oh." His usual scowl disapparated, and all that remained was a cool nonchalance. He shrugged quickly and turned back to his computer. "That's reasonable, I suppose."

Right then, Rukia had to admit her selfishness, because the only worry in her mind was whether Ichigo would make her leave or not, paying no mind to anything else. But he showed no indications of asking for her leave; in fact, he didn't speak at all for several more minutes and was comfortably occupied by the internet.

In voice somewhat out of her own control, Rukia broke this suddenly frigid silence, "So can I still stay?"

He replied with only a hint of interest, "I'm not the type of person to ignore another's plead for help. If you need to stay, fine. Like I said before, do whatever."

"I'm not pleading." She was adamant.

"Okay, fine, you're not."

"Okay," and she turned away with only a shadow of an idea of what just occurred.

* * *

Byakuya couldn't make heads or tails of this Hisana woman who insisted on staying, even after Rukia left in such a huff. "Just in case if she comes back," she had explained. "I really want a chance to speak with her."

He really didn't trust her enough to leave her alone sitting in his living room couch, so he made himself sit with her, cringing inwardly at all the wasted minutes that could be better used. In contrast, she was perfectly content with his company, though it wasn't much to speak of. Nothing seemed to break her high spirits tonight.

"Just how long do you intend to wait?"

Hisana's eyes flickered over to meet his, and for a moment, the resemblance between the sisters really struck him for the first time. Instead of answering, she asked her own question. "What convinced you to let me come tonight?"

"Hours of genealogy research that legitimized your claims."

The woman looked down and smiled, then, "Aren't you worried about where she went?"

"I trust that she'll make reasonable decisions." Responsibility was never a thing that Byakuya had to personally teach Rukia. She had been intelligent enough to figure it out for herself.

Another lapse of silence.

"Byakuya –" ("Already on a first-name basis, I see.") "– could you tell me about how you came by Rukia? I mean, Karakura is miles away from when I last saw her..."

His patience was wearing thin with all her inquiries, but he didn't think that telling her off was the best way to make her leave. It would probably just strengthen her resolve to stay. Humoring her, he said, though not enthusiastically, "As you know, I'm a lawyer. A state prosecutor, to be specific. It was during a child neglect case several years back, and she was one of the handful of children who testified. Several things proceeded it, and she went under my care."

"Neglect case?' Hisana leaned towards him with her lips curled into an expression of disapproval.

"Yes, the foster parents did not provide food for the children, and skipping school became a common occurrence for them. Eventually, the government became involved." He wasn't certain why, but revealing all the details didn't seem wise, so he made do with some sugarcoating. "The two parents then received three years in a minimum-security prison."

"Not more?" Those eyes narrowed.

Byakuya regarded her. "It was the most I could push for."

"Oh?"

"You don't hold the monopoly for criticism concerning Rukia's well-being, you know? Whatever happened to you this past decade?" That was enough explaining on his side. No need to draw things out unnecessarily.

She retreated. "I... wasn't in the best set of circumstances. Our parents passed away in a car accident when I had recently turned eighteen and in college. Rukia's guardianship fell to me, but I had barely gotten out of high school! Barely a year older than she was right now. Had I dropped out, I probably could have managed just fine, but... I couldn't. We didn't have living relatives, so I left her." She focused her attention on a painting on the wall.

"It is a natural tendency of humans to be selfish."

"Is it?" She continued to avert his gaze. "That doesn't really make me feel any better."

"I wasn't trying to. And you never answered my earlier question about how long you were planning to stay."

Standing up, Hisana collected her bag and admitted, "It's late, I know, but I still have one request, if I could." Byakuya waited for her to continue, and so she did. "Can I... can I see her room for just a second? I won't snoop or anything like that. Just get an idea of what it's like, that's all. If that's alright."

_If that's what it takes for you to be finally satisfied._ "Follow me."

* * *

Of course, Ichigo didn't expect anything different. Had he really thought that Rukia's visit was motivated by an actual desire to be in his house or something of the nature? That was purely absurd.

Over the years, he found that doing his homework was great for when he was angry, disappointed, or stressed. It occupied his mind and prevented him from thinking about the subject troubling him, which was why he was currently scanning the web for an answer to a particularly challenging statistics problem. For some reason, the temporary therapy didn't have its usual effects this time.

_You should have seen this coming, really_, he thought and exited out of a Google page. _I was trying to find out why she disliked me so much, and I guess there really doesn't need to be a reason. She's a shitty person towards me, and that's not going to change anytime soon. In fact, why do I even put in the effort with trying to figure out a reason? It's not going to magically take effect on the situation either way. __We weren't weren't close to being friends, let alone stepping away from "last resort" territory, so just forget about it. If she really does want to be so against me, fine._

_Besides, what did you expect in the first place? Her wanting for us to prance on a rainbow with fingers interlocked, singing a song about friendship but is secretly hiding it? Have you _heard_ her insults lately?_

So then why did the realization take so long? "I need to stop being so clueless," he muttered to himself, then froze. Had she heard that? He had completely forgotten that she was even here due to the prolonged silence, and he shot a glance at the computer desktop's clock to delay turning around. Eleven fifteen.

A deep breath later, he slowly swiveled his chair around towards the direction of the bed, only to find a sleeping figure with rumpled hair and a crinkled gray sweater.s

"Thank goodness." Problem averted. But now, he had a sleeping Rukia to deal with, who was in his clothes, in his bed. He couldn't obviously take the bed now, but sleeping on the couch downstairs held its own risks as well. A small, oh very small, part of Ichigo urged him to just sleep on the bed alongside her because there _was_ room. The non-dominant, illogical part.

But reason won out. "Well, I may be her last resort, but the bed is certainly not mine."

With determination to carefully keep his distance from now on, he sat down on the carpet and leaned his back against the long side of his mattress. It took a few rounds of shifting before he found a comfortable position, but that was good enough.

It took a few minutes before he could fall asleep, and all the while, Rukia's quiet snores were the only sounds that filled the long expanse of seconds.

**A/N: I'm not exactly certain about Hisana's characterization, so I thought, why not just create it from scratch? Anyways, my first round of finals are over, so after the second round, I should get much more time for writing!**

**Thanks to all the readers and reviewers! :-)**


	8. I'll Do It

**A/N: Yes! Editing is finally finished! I added more dialogue than anticipated, but the changes in plot weren't big. And for the latest few chapters, it was mostly grammar and wording issues. Some notable things are:**

**-I have renovated both Ichigo and Rukia's rooms to the second floor of their houses.**

**-Hitsugaya's grade-skipping thing is specified.**

**-Added conversations between the characters in some chapters.**

Chapter Eight: I'll Do It

The morning began in a haze as Yuzu rubbed her eyes, relieving stress caused by the harsh glare of her alarm clock. It read six-thirty.

She was never one for sleeping in, even on weekends. This mostly had to do with her willingly accepting the responsibility of making breakfast for her family on most days, which began when her father once broke a bowl and spilled and entire gallon jug of milk when trying to prepare cereal. Ichigo and Karin both proudly boast multiple burnt toast slices and eggs.

While changing out of her pajamas, the girl couldn't help but yawn loudly. Last night, she had been so sure that she heard a strange clicking noise coming from outside the house. It didn't persist for long, but just long enough to discourage her from closing her eyes for any amounts of time.

"Probably burglars lurking around." Karin, her roommate, had waved off the observation when Yuzu voiced her worries.

"Burglars!"

"Don't worry, they'll have to go through me first, so just go to sleep." Karin began snoring almost immediately.

Yuzu, on the contrary, did not feel an inkling of reassurance and stayed up well past the time she should. Thankfully, there were no break-in's. But despite the lack of a good sleep, her usual sleep schedule still persevered and forced her up this early. Its effects did show when she was navigating to the bathroom to splash some water on her face, but ended up barging into the adjacent door, her brother's room.

It took a moment before she realized that instead of a sink, there stood Ichigo's bed and a sleeping figure on it, another before it was clear that the figure certainly did not resemble her brother in the slightest. Too slender and... feminine. The lineament of their neighbor was splayed out on the mattress, lying on her front and very close to the edge of the bed.

Another two steps forward revealed a head of ginger, Ichigo with his back propped up against the side of the bed frame, hidden before when she was at the door.

She didn't see evidence of anyone entering their house last night, let alone someone this momentous. A redness crept up her cheeks as several implications came to mind. Of course, this had to be one of those clandestine relationships where the boy and girl opens their windows to communicate without their parents knowing, then one of them sneaking over, and leaving through the window before daybreak to escape notice.

But then again, their rooms were on the second floor, so that probably might not be the best option.

Now Yuzu was definitely not a stranger to the subject of sex, and Rukia's presence spoke volume enough, even without knowing the true reason as to how she got there. Due to Isshin being regarded as immature, and too frankly perverted, to get down to the empirical, nitty-gritty details, Karin took on the duty. She was an avid surfer of the internet.

At the thought of such a tabooed subject (and her not realizing how little it applied to the actual situation), Yuzu began giggling, and it was the type of giggling that proved hard to control. She did force herself to stop, as to not wake the couple.

Ichigo had never been one to disclose any small tidbits of information on the subject of his love life, much to the chagrin and pestering of their dad, so she felt a sense of accomplishment at finding out at least _something_. Whether he knew about it or not. Oh, how crazy Isshin would be if he were the one to discover this spectacle! He'd most likely shift into a territory of extreme insanity.

Something in her was really interested in seeing how _that_ scene would play out... Yes, very much so.

* * *

Rukia dreamt she was petting a bunny – quite possibly the softest, cutest bunny ever thought to have existed, surpassing even the level Chappy held. She hadn't thought that was possible, but there it was.

In fact, that dream was so pleasant that when a loud, strident shout interrupted her sleep, she felt a sincere urge to resort to physical tactics of silencing someone. The presence of a new voice shouting sealed the deal, and she cracked an eyelid open with intents of murder.

Ichigo was standing right by his closed door, holding his arms out to prevent it from being opened, and a bewildered expression upon his face. He turned towards Rukia, who did her best to orient herself at this foreign commotion which would never happen inside the safety of her own room, and hissed, "Hide. Go in my closet or something."

She opened her mouth, most likely to retort with something defiant as she had not perceived how big a threat the person on the other side of the door was, when the door itself was burst open, accompanied by a shout of, "I'm coming in!"

"_Ichigo, come down for the breakfast that your beautiful sister made!_" A stocky figure barrelled inside, speaking in a most peculiar combination of a sing-song voice and a drill commander's tone. Ichigo stepped back to avoid being plowed into, and then there was only silence.

Yes, Rukia was finally in the loop about what's happening, and the loop does not appear to be kind. A cold sweat broke out on Rukia, though she kept managed to keep her outward appearance professional and composed "Hello, Mr. Kurosaki, I don't mean to intrude upon your lovely home."

In that unique manner of his, Isshin began, "No need to explain anything! I know exactly what's going down."

A vein was visible on Ichigo's temple, and he clenched his fists. "Dad, listen, this looks like –"

"Son!" Isshin held up an index finger authoritatively to silence him. "Please don't think of your old man as clueless or dense, because I'm anything but. And Rukia," Because she was still sitting on the bed, practically immobile, he crouched down to reach her height and put a hand on her shoulders enthusiastically. Leaning forward, he gave a quick look at his son and whispered to her, "So, I must ask, how was he?"

"What?" Rukia managed a squeak and tried to lean back as far as she could. The red spread over her would make tomatoes proud.

"You know, Ichigo," Isshin had on a frighteningly curious look, but before he could get another word in, Ichigo dragged him backwards and attempted to push him out the room. He didn't budge. More shouting ensued, and also what appeared to be a physical brawl.

Rukia had a hand on her face, desperate for her blush to disappear _immediately, goddammit_. She stood up and managed to not stagger. In one last, hopeless effort to regain control of the situation, she cleared her throat and announced loudly, "Mr. Kurosaki! If you would just let me explain, it would make this much clearer."

In between dodging punches thrown by his son, Isshin said, "Oh no, Rukia, you must call me Isshin. I mean, we're practically family now. Please join us downstairs for pancakes, courtesy of Yuzu!"

"_Dad, I swear if you don't stop."_

This was utterly unacceptable. All the shouting was one thing, but this actual fighting was probably going to get one of the neighbors to call the police. Rukia leapt forward and did her best to separate the two, seeing as someone had to be the adult in this situation. Once she was sure that the two had backed off, she did her best to channel her inner Byakuya Kuchiki. Totally professional and cool (putting aside her most recent embarrassment), she said with some vestige of poise, "Mr. Kurosaki, Isshin, this is my formal apology for intruding into your home and –"

"Oh, I assure you that it's _completely_ fine, Rukia."

"– making this situation more implicit than it should. I guarantee you that Ichigo and I are not involved in any way, shape, or form. I hadn't expected to stay this long and was actually just looking for a temporary sanctuary. The falling asleep part was an accident, and quite honestly, it's your son's fault for not waking me up after my mistake."

A scowl from Ichigo. "Oh, I guess just lay the responsibility on me."

Rukia continued her speech, unaffected, "I was in distraught last night due to some unfortunate news and needed to get out of the house, that's all, and couldn't contact my other friends."

"Please, I'm sure Ichigo would be glad to help you out anytime," Isshin did a bad imitation of a wink at her while Ichigo snapped, "I really think Rukia should leave right now. This was a bad decision on my part."

"Yes, I do agree. I've overstayed my hospitality." Rukia shot him a grateful look, glad that he offered up a chance at escape, but he ignored her gaze and went back to scowling at his dad, muttering inaudible threats. Practically sprinting towards the door of the room, Rukia almost stumbled upon Yuzu and Karin, who were both crouching directly outside and most likely eavesdropping this whole time. Yuzu began blushing.

The younger girl started, "We were just, ah –"

Karin finished her sentence with her usual look of being annoyed, "so very rudely disrupted by all this yelling upstairs. Can't a person eat pancakes in peace anymore?"

"I'm sorry, but I really should get going," Rukia quickly apologized and shot a glance back into the room to make sure Isshin won't try to stop her. Thankfully, Ichigo had him restrained, but the arguing had resumed again.

"Rukia, don't go yet! My sweet daughters, please help me convince her to at least stay for breakfast!"

Ichigo's voice with an uncharacteristic amount of vexation: "Get ahold of yourself, Dad. Rukia, _just go_!"

All this new noise attracted the attention of the Kurosaki's dog, and it joined in with some celebratory barking as well. Rukia paused in her absconding, almost stupefied by the dysfunctionality. In the midst of this, Karin looked as neutral as can be. The dark-haired girl noticed her expression, shrugged, and said, "You get used to it. And I'd advise you to make a run for it, because I'm not sure how long Ichigo can hold Dad back."

"Will do," Rukia nodded and resumed her fleeing, glad she snapped out of the sudden daze.

Once safely outside, she released a deep breath that had been building up for all the while. It took several seconds for her to regain her dignity, and she started on the couple of meters that separated the Kurosaki's yard from the Kuchiki's.

A head popped out of Ichigo's window. "Rukia, feel free to come back soon!" A hand appeared and pulled him back him and the window was pulled shut as well.

She blinked and bit her lips, almost wanting to laugh at the absurdity of all this but held it in. As outlandish as the Kurosaki family seemed, she thought there was something quite engaging about them. They were like a hybrid of those archetypal reality show families and commercial families, as seen on TV. The drama cannot be denied, but the commercial aspect does shine through in how comfortable they all are, a sort of naturalness.

The sharp contrast of her brother to Isshin was sharper than ever, after getting an inside look next door. Byakuya would never even entertain the idea of having Ichigo stay the night, crises or not. And if he were to find that that she _had_, well, that was not a pretty picture. But was she so different? Had the situation been reversed, she wouldn't have let him in so readily, either...

And that was when the prospect of having to face Byakuya after her prolonged absence hit her. Sure, she initially had a reason for running out, but the length of one entire night was completely unjustified. That was a real problem.

What frightened her was how she honestly did not know what to expect, whether he was actually going to raise his voice or simply tell her off for being so unthoughtful.

By the time Rukia reached her front door, she realized that she had no keys, and the door could very well be locked. Thankfully, it wasn't. But that was just a sign that Byakuya was at home, which didn't brighten her mood.

The living room was directly connected to the front entrance, and the person in question happened to be sitting on the couch with a laptop in hand. He looked as well-groomed and calm as ever, with a mildly bored edge to his face. As soon as Rukia stepped a foot into his peripheral vision, he glanced up from the computer screen. "You're home."

"Yes, Brother." She had decided to offer up information only when prompted, as that would make it as less incriminating as possible, allowing for details to be left out.

"I don't believe that to be your sweater." He focused on her appearance.

"It's not." After receiving a raised eyebrow from him, she continued. "It, ah, belongs to the Kurosaki's." She didn't specify which one, but it truly was not hard to deduce.

Without missing a beat, "I see."

It was clear that he was now satisfied with her explanation, because he turned back to his computer screen and continued his previous typing. Rukia was quite relieved at the ease of this interrogation, but just slightly affronted by his apparent lack of concern. Shouldn't he be worried? Anxious? Well, if he's finished with his questioning, then she'll start hers. "About that Hisana woman."

"Your sister, yes." Byakuya suddenly seemed to recall something. "She has again requested your audience, seeing the unfortunate circumstances of yesterday, and I arranged for you two to meet together this evening at Urahara's Diner so she would stop calling me about it."

"You gave her your number?" That was more surprising than the news of the meeting itself. He was very selective in sharing his contact information, much like herself.

He almost looked abashed. Almost. "In exchange for finally getting her to leave last night, yes. The meeting is at 6:30."

Rukia rocked back on her heels and she tried to object, "Brother, I don't think that's the best idea. She's just... I don't want to..."

"Enough," It was firm, but not harsh. "We Kuchiki's, biological or not, do not back down and run off with tails tucked between our legs. Your actions last night were understandable, yes, but not acceptable. Sooner or later, your personal issues with her must be resolved on your own, and that just happens to be 6:30 tonight at Urahara's. I am not elated about her sudden intrusion into our lives, but it has to be dealt with. Do you understand?"

There was no room for any arguments. "Yes."

"Good." He recommenced his typing. "I'm glad we are both on the same page."

* * *

Before preparing for her dinner date, by the loosest definition of the word, Rukia made sure to wash Ichigo's gray sweater. She set it down beside her backpack after neatly folding it as a reminder to bring it to school tomorrow and return the thing. That way, she wouldn't have to return to his house and be faced with the possibility of Isshin's wrath again. He was too unpredictable, and she really didn't want to risk it.

Afterwards, she deliberated on whether to dress up for the occasion or not, because Urahara's Diner was one of the more informal places to eat out around Karakura, yet she didn't want Hisana to get a bad impression. As much as she didn't care for the woman, giving off the right image was still important.

"But why should I try to impress anyone if she's the one requesting my audience? Bah, she should just be grateful that I accepted. Didn't have much of a choice, but still." In the end, she opted for a casual jacket, jeans, and tennis shoes.

Twenty minutes before the set time, she was all set with some cash in her back pocket and cellphone in hand. The diner was only fifteen minutes away by foot, so there was no need to commute by car.

She informed Byakuya of her leave and started toward the correct direction. There were minimal pedestrians about at this time of day, and that made increased her normal walking speed, which made her arrive five minutes faster.

Urahara's was packed to the brim with customers spanning every age group, but Rukia managed to snatch up a small window booth that had just been vacated by a middle-aged couple. No sign of Hisana yet.

Now the waiting begins, and she idly read some fliers that were tacked up all over the walls and sipped a glass of water she got. The papers ranged from offering rewards for finding lost pets to an advertisement about a used washing machine. When that was all done and over with, she moved on to looking at all the people and trying to guess what was happening in their conversations based on their expressions. Her eyes scanned broadly over the dinner, looking for some choice victims, and landed on a familiar head of russet. Hold up, that looked to be, "Renji?"

Rukia stood up to get a better look over everyone's heads, and sure enough, it was one and the same. She waved to catch his attention. "Renji!"

He whirled around at the sound of his name and tried to pick out the source out of the crowd. The waving must've worked, because his eyes immediately went towards her, and he even backed up a step in surprise. Hesitantly, almost as if he didn't want to, he approached Rukia's table.

She wasted no time. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Well, ah, here I am." He was clearly uneasy about this coincidence, but tried to play it off and scratched the back of his head. Unknowingly, he even slouched a bit, like he was shrinking himself subconsciously.

Rukia picked up on it and thought it most unusual. Renji never was one for looking unsure in all the years she knew him. "So why _are_ you working here? It like you need the money, right?" Those exact words echoed back from earlier that week, and she ventured with a new theory, "Wait, don't tell me that this has to do why you wanted me and Kurosaki to mess with Uryu's betting thing."

Under her scrutiny, Renji began looking more unsure and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Being examined like a microscope specimen was not a position he recommends for anyone. Perhaps a moment too late, he laughed, "No, this is like a side hobby. I do have too much spare time, as you know, so I thought – why not take up a job?"

"Don't lie," Rukia said accusingly. "I've known you for what, eight or nine years? I've gotten quite good at reading you."

Renji gave a quick, furtive scan over at the rest of the dinner. Satisfied that no one seemed to care what he was doing, he sank down into the seat opposite from Rukia and folded his arms on the table. Muttering, he said, "Yeah, and sometimes I really hate that fact."

"Spill," Rukia leaned in with some anticipation.

"Okay, I actually do need the money."

"I knew it!" She then feigned a gasp. "Oh no, Renji, don't tell me you're hooked on crack cocaine and this is all just to fund your drug habit."

After giving her a "you are a spectacular failure at trying to be funny" type of look, he went on, "It's nothing like that. I need it for college."

"College? But your parents are loaded."

"Well, they are, but they want me to take up after their business, doing all that money and economic shit. I have no intention to, as you know. Way too many suit-and-tie business meetings, taking advantage of people, things like that. But then, my dad came straight out and said they won't pay for my tuition unless I major in that, and so I just," he shrugged like it was no big deal, "decided I'll just get the money myself. Urahara was nice enough to give me this position, and here we are."

That made Rukia fall silent, if only for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier? Like at that dinner party where it became relevant?"

"I dunno." He leaned back in his seat. "I thought you might think I made it all up just to make you accept the deal or something. And it might've made me seem too needy..."

Rukia murmured something under her breath about men and their fragile egos and said, "I'll help you."

"No, you really don't have to."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, this isn't about you being needy or not, and I do believe you. This is me helping out a friend, alright? In fact, I'll even go to that miserable dance with Ichigo, if that's what it takes."

**A/N: I have just finished Neon Genesis Evangelion yesterday, and let me just post a short review on the anime: ? ?¿ ¿?**

**I'd love some reviews on this chapter, as always, and thanks for reading If you spot any mistakes/plot holes/missing words, PLEASE TELL ME!**


	9. A Blast from the Past

**A/N: Keep in mind for this chapter that I do have some unreliable narrators at work.**

Chapter Nine: A Blast from the Past

**Ichigo, age 5**

Ichigo, young as he was, picked up immediately that something was to happen when Masaki began lecturing in that professional manner she adopted only for special occasions. She knelt down to his level and said, "Now Ichigo, you know what I've told you before about manners."

He began to tick off his fingers one by one while listing rules, "Yeah, like don't bite people, don't scream in public, say 'please' and 'thank you,' and if you're going to throw up, do it in the bathroom instead of on the carpet." He grinned up at his mother, quite proud.

She gave him a smile but reverted back to serious mode. "That's all very accurate, but today, you're going to have to be extra polite."

"Why?"

"We're going over to our neighbor's house today, Mr. Kuchiki, along with Yuzu and Karin." The twins, both at the tender age of one years old, were busy gurgling and salivating in the baby pen, probably chewing on a teething toy or two.

"Why? I don't like him." The boy furrowed his brows in childish discontent.

Masaki rolled her eyes good-naturedly and reassured him, "Mr. Kuchiki is a very nice man, trust me. And we're going to visit him because it's a very special day, and he needs my advice with something. You see, Ichigo, he has decided to adopt a girl, and today is the day she officially moves in. She's around your age, I believe. Anyways, he just had some questions to ask and thought having a woman over might help her adjust better. So while your dad is at work in the clinic, we'll go and meet her."

"I don't see why I have to be 'extra polite.'"

"Ah, well..." Masaki fell quiet for a moment in contemplation of how to phrase an explanation, then continued in a more somber tone, "Her old parents – or should I say foster parents – were not nice in the least. Terrible people, in fact, which is why she was taken away. So now, to make up for all their meanness, we must be extra nice, do you understand?"

"Very mean people, huh?" He copied her previous thinking pose and pretended to ponder the issue deeply like an adult would. A moment later, "Yeah, sure, I get it. So what's her name?"

"Rukia. Rukia Kuchiki." Masaki stood back up and ruffled his messy hair. "Now come on, I'm going to get Yuzu changed out of her food-stained clothes, and then we'll hop right over next door. Who knows, you and Rukia could become good friends, living this close together."

Ichigo looked doubtful. "Maybe."

Girls were still a rather foreign concept to him (his mom and sisters didn't count!). He doesn't begin first grade until next year, and kindergarten only lasted for half a day, so his contact with them were limited. His friend, Tatsuki, was probably the only person so far who came close in giving him a peek into that world, though arguably, she sometimes acted more boyish than he did, so who's to say? For now, femininity still remained a wholly strange thing that needs further observation before he could make any close contact.

Masaki asked Ichigo to retrieve a new, clean shirt for Yuzu while she changed both the twins' diapers. Ten minutes later, everything was cleaned up and they were ready to head over.

She set the youngest two into a double stroller, with Karin squirming against her hands quite a bit, and helped Ichigo tie his shoelaces correctly. The group then set off on their brief but nonetheless significant journey next door. Byakuya opened the door almost as soon as the woman rang the doorbell.

"Hello," he greeted them properly and gave a curt nod towards the children. "Please, come in."

The Kurosaki gang stepped inside, Ichigo still slightly indignant towards the elder Kuchiki, and immediately saw the girl sitting on the living room couch.

She was exceptionally pale and gaunt, a sight that reminded the boy of fresh snow on hard stone. Her eyes were downcast, focused completely on a book that appeared to host bunnies of the cartoon variety. Her knees were glued together in a tense manner and her posture, rigid. All of her dark hair was pulled back by a rubber band into a ponytail.

"Masaki," Byakuya gestured to the girl in introduction. "This is Rukia."

At the sound of her name, Rukia jumped up a bit in surprise and looked towards the adults. With more light hitting her face at this angle, her cheekbones became a bit more pronounced and the shadows harsher. She tried out a smile at the pleasant-faced woman and the cute twins. Upon seeing Ichigo, her smile faltered a bit, probably out of surprise at seeing someone of her own age, but she quickly regained it.

Masaki seemed a bit restless about something and has been giving constant glances over at Byakuya since coming inside. With some oversaturated cheer, she said, "Rukia, I'm sure Ichigo here would love to see your new room, if you'd be willing to give him a tour of it."

Rukia nodded modestly and stood up from the couch. Ichigo, on the contrary, was not so please about being sent away to spend time with a total stranger. In protest, he piped up, "But Mom, I don't –"

"Go on now," She gave his back a light push to propel him after the girl.

Puffing his cheeks out in annoyance, he reluctantly followed Rukia's slender figure up the steps, and neither attempted to make conversation on the way. Her room was spartan in nature – more fitting for a middle-aged man, really, than a child – with crisp white walls and the minimum furnitures required to dub it a "bedroom." No posters, no decorations. The only thing that added some splashes of color were a set of well-worn books stacked neatly on a study desk. Upon closer inspection, Ichigo discovered that they were all filled with words well above the average reading level of a kindergartner.

But he was no ordinary kindergartner! In fact, his mother has been teaching him, since a year ago, how to read, with varying degrees of success. With some effort, he began sounding out the title of the book at the very top. "..._Complete History... of the Greeks... and... Romans_. What's that even about? Looks boring."

She snapped out of her thoughts and became a bit flustered by his quick condemnation. She stuttered an explanation. "I – I still don't know a lot of the big words in there, but it, it helps pass the time, I guess."

"Oh." Ichigo wanted to say how there were much better, less boring, ways to pass the time, but held his tongue on that when he noticed something plenty more interesting. "Hey look! My room is right across from your window! I can see my desk."

"Oh."

He turned away from the window with a grin at this new discovery only to find her facing off to a completely different direction, obviously a sign of inattentiveness. A tad bit annoyed at her blatant disinterest (she should pay attention! He _was_ the guest, after all), the boy fumbled for a topic that will surely be more interesting than whatever daydreams she was having. In a tone snarkier than he intended, he said, "Anyways, why do you look so skinny?"

"So... skinny?" Caught by surprise, she looked down at her arms in examination. Was she really? She hadn't thought about it much, but upon closer inspection, her figure really was in attractively bony.

"Yeah, I mean, almost like a skeleton or something."

Slowly, her eyebrows knitted together in a sign of quiet reflection at this new revelation that yes, some aspects of her could be likened to the vestiges of the dead. No one has ever told her that so openly before. It didn't sound much like a good thing.

Ichigo saw she was looking down at her feet now, wearing a dainty frown, but whether it was out of anger at the impudent question or out of grievances spawned from the unflattering simile, he did not know. Quickly, he followed it up with an attempt to cover up the faux pas. "I didn't mean it in a bad way, like you're ugly or something like that. I, um, like skeletons. They're cool."

At that, she did look up from her feet, though she was suddenly anxious to have him out of her room. What would he judge next? First her books, then how she looked... "We should go back downstairs."

Ichigo looked relieved at her suggestion and pounced on the opening. "Yes, good idea."

They walked out of the austere bedroom, Ichigo a few steps ahead, and began to descend down the stairs. Before heading down the last flight, Rukia stumbled against his back when he suddenly halted. He motioned for her to stop as well and to be quiet.

The voices of the adults drifted up to them in waves.

Masaki sounded angry, "This is pure irresponsibility on your part, Byakuya! Why would you adopt her if you didn't want a child in the first place or have any extensive knowledge of how to raise one? This is not what's best for Rukia, and I don't understand why Child Protective Services would let you be her guardian."

All of Ichigo's previous curiosity about the conversation transformed into a sneaking suspicion that the matter was far too serious than what Masaki had made it out to be to him earlier. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to eavesdrop on this one. He made a move down the stairs, probably to reveal themselves to the adults, only to be pulled back by a set of firm, delicate hands. Looking back at Rukia, he saw quiet passivity. She wasn't offended in any way, she just wanted to hear more.

And more she surely got. "... Was I supposed to leave her be with just another set of foster parents? My conscience dictated that –"

"Oh, if that were true, then you would've adopted that other child who was being fostered there as well. Mizuiro, was it? So why did you do it, really?"

Byakuya still didn't lose his calm edge, "If that answer is unsatisfactory, then... I suppose I did it to benefit myself. To spite my family, rather."

"Do go on."

"Well, I really am not on good terms with the rest of the Kuchikis. I do abhor some of their ideals, especially with my father insisting that I need 'a female companion in my life to further our family's line.' It's all he'll speak of with me these days." A dry chuckled escaped from him. "Though it's surely not what he had in mind, Rukia is a female, and she's a child who will carry the Kuchiki name from here forth, furthering the line as he so hoped. I'm being rather efficient, actually, killing two birds with one stone."

"You..."

"Was that answer unsatisfactory as well?"

"No, I understand why you did it." A wail from one of the twins interrupted her, and she paused while trying to calm the infant. After the baby was finally content, she went on, "But you're still being selfish, and I still don't think it's fair to Rukia."

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I obviously can't just go and drop her off at the nearest orphanage. The paperwork is in order, and she's staying with me."

A moment later, "I'll help you with her, if that's what you wanted in calling me over. What she needs is a caring, parental figure in her life, and since you can't fully fulfill that yet, I'll be the supplement."

This time, it was Rukia who decided that they've heard enough and glided down the last few steps with Ichigo following. In her usual, polite manner, she said, "I'm done with showing him my room."

Masaki transitioned seamlessly into mother mode. "Just in time, honey, because we really ought to be heading back. I need to start preparing dinner."

Ichigo didn't protest, although to be fair, he couldn't when most of his mind was spent on working out exactly what the adults had been saying a few seconds earlier. All he managed to get so far was that Byakuya liked to talk a lot and use long words, and his mother was not happy for some reason about him adopting Rukia. Those strange adults.

Speaking of Rukia, he shot one last glance over at her before heading out the door. She was back to looking at her rabbit book and didn't notice.

* * *

That night, Ichigo had trouble keeping his eyes shut. The crickets outside, or whatever insects they were, just sounded louder than usual, and a couple of times, he even jumped out of bed over to the windows and peered towards Rukia's room. What he was looking for, he didn't know. The curtains were pulled and the light was off, as expected.

A few more minutes of this made him restless, so in search of something to do, he decided that he must go pee. Now.

Carefully as to not make the door hinges creak, Ichigo made his way to the bathroom next-door. After finishing his brief acquaintance with the toilet, he stepped out but hesitated in the return back to his bed. Faintly but surely, a wind of muffled conversation made its way out of his parents' room just down the hall. Feverishly guessing that it had to do with whatever happened today, the boy crept toward the source of the voices on tiptoes.

Thankfully, their door was shut, so he pressed his ears against the wood partition and waited with bated breath. Despite the subpar sound quality, the words were still discernable.

"... was very lovely and polite, but a bit more... neutral than I expected? Disconnected?"

Isshin's voice rang through in a joking manner, "A perfect match for that uptight Byakuya, then."

A thump as she must've whacked him. "Quit it. I just meant that it seemed like she sort of forgot the case ever happened. Or just pretended like it never happened. She looked like she was daydreaming a lot, too, whenever not being spoken to, you know?"

"Hm. I've heard kids can sometimes forget bad histories just by willing themselves. Kind of incredible, really." He paused. "Whatever did happen in that case, anyway? Nothing too bad, I hope."

"Right, I asked him about it the first thing, but he wouldn't tell me too much, not even the name of that foster parent – apparently it was just one. In exchange for an immediate confession, since it would be much less complicated and faster, the man got a shorter sentence and wanted no press coverage and some degree of confidentiality. Pretty ironic, because apparently, he adopted the two kids to try to gain press coverage for the good Samaritan act, but –"

Ichigo missed the next part due to drawing back and adjusting into a more comfortable position. Leaning in again, he caught the last part of what his mother was saying, " – can't imagine what that man was thinking, considering he allegedly had a son as well? Don't know how old, but _that_ child wasn't neglected. Still got taken away while he's in prison, though."

"That's it?" With a bit disbelief, Isshin said, "A pretty weak-sauce punishment! And why would he want some stupid press coverage?"

"He was the founder of some small-time company, again, Byakuya wouldn't say the name, and wanted publicity for the business, I guess." Masaki sighed audibly. "It's a mess. Thank goodness they caught it early, or –"

And that was when Ichigo stepped away from the door and stifled a yawn. Overhearing all that only made the situation slightly more clear for him. Their quiet tones were what he was paying attention to, not the content itself, and it proved to have more of a lulling effect than anything. In a much sleepier, zombie-like fashion, he ambled back to his room and laid himself on the bed, falling asleep in seconds.

By the next morning, vague memories of what occurred last night were long gone.

**Months in the future but not too many...**

In the months that followed, Rukia became something like a regular at the Kurosaki household. Isshin greeted her graciously and even tried to teach her, along with Ichigo, some martial arts moves. She was often over for dinner as well, especially when something important came up at Byakuya's workplace and he needed to take an emergency leave of absence.

All the food that Masaki made (and some that Isshin attempted to make) slowly filled out the hollows in her cheek and gave her a generally more healthy color. Less skeleton-like, as Ichigo might say.

The changes were not restricted to the physical aspects of her, as her demeanor took a renovation as well. She became considerably less reserved under Masaki's encouragement and has been more prone to exchange sarcastic comments with Ichigo. The two gradually developed something of a competition as to who better deserved Masaki's attention. It was a battle fought with crayon drawings that were later tacked up to the fridge, besting each other in tag, and a general desire for praise.

As for the case... what case? The man was safely put away in jail, if only for a brief few years, and Rukia seemed to remember no part of it, so why remind her? She appeared happy, and disrupting that bubble wasn't what they wanted.

So while her relationship with the Kurosakis did flourish, Rukia only gained minimal grounds with Byakuya, as far as she could tell.

He asked her to call him "Brother," as "Father" or "Dad" would be too alien and unfitting. She gladly complied. As for the rest of the times, he did give her or buy her whatever she wished, like books or toys, but their exchanges still remained overly formal. He was more of a teacher than a parent. At least she finally decided to decorate her monotonous room with more posters and pictures.

Aside from that, he gave her somewhat of a berth, letting her do as she wished. In truth, it was more that he wasn't sure how exactly to interact with her rather than an aversion to it. But surely it was every child's dream, that type of freedom.

Soon, the first day of first grade sneaked up upon the two children, and on the eve of that special occasion, Byakuya had asked the neighbors to babysit for two hours as he attended to something crucial that demanded no interruptions.

Lunch was served to Rukia and Ichigo, and as an after-meal treat, both were given some bubble gum to chew. That proved to be a bad decision on Masaki's part, as Rukia soon came back with a distressed expression and pink stickiness in her shoulder-length hair.

"He stuck it on me!" The girl pointed an accusing finger at Ichigo.

"It was an accident!" He protested, then proceeded to list several reasons as to why the blame should not be placed on him.

Instead of being suckered into the blame game, Masaki took out a pair of scissors and gestured for Rukia to come closer. She did, and the woman pulled the dirtied strands of hair to the front, cleanly snipped off half its length, and let go. The lock dropped back and nestled in between Rukia's eyes in a swooping fashion.

"Now it's not even with the rest," Ichigo pointed out, playing the Devil's advocate.

Masaki brought her hands to her hips and observed the handiwork. "I think it looks nice like that, actually. Adds quite a bit of flair to your normal style!"

Rukia reached up and fingered the new addition of the bang. After sticking her tongue out at Ichigo, she said, "I'll keep it like this then."

The boy blew a sizable bubble with his remaining gum and popped it.

**Ichigo and Rukia, age 6.5**

Then came the dreaded car accident that brought an end to this era and to Masaki Kurosaki's life. The culprit was said to be driving drunk, and she happened to be in the way.

Byakuya himself insisted on prosecuting this case and pushed for life imprisonment, but due to the driver's affluence which he used to hire a rather skilled defense attorney, the sentence was finally decided on to be fifteen years. Still a sizable amount of time spent in prison, but a job most shamefully done in the Kuchiki's eyes. That had been the first time Rukia saw him frazzled, when he delivered the news. On the contrary, she was surprised to find herself more calm than him, perhaps eerily so, even at the funeral.

Ah, the funeral – what a sunny day it had been. Ichigo was dressed in a dark suit a size or two too big and planted himself in a seat next to Rukia, who sported a knee-length black dress. She thought he might've been crying, his eyes taking on that red edge, but couldn't accurately tell as he didn't look at her once.

Halfway through, she had reached out and grabbed one of his hands. It felt too cold and unwelcoming, so she let it go again and returned her eyes to the priest.

Isshin, the ever cheerful Isshin, situated himself behind Ichigo and stayed stony-eyed the entire service. She suspected that he was more of a private griever, that he must have gone home and cried, but never confirmed the theory. She hardly went over next door anymore, so there really was no opportunity to confirm it.

Even Byakuya appeared affected throughout the funeral, definitely not enough to cry, obviously, but just... affected. Ashamed, even.

Ichigo missed school for the next three days, and seemed gloomier than ever when he came back. Space was probably what he needed, Rukia decided, and stay away she did for the next eleven years.

Of course, she wasn't able to pinpoint that as the exact moment that drove a wedge between the two, as most of those memories were long faded for her. Aside from a few impressions of an extremely nice woman with cute twins who used to let her stay over next door, all that remained were her new vivacious spirit, her competitiveness, and an unfounded feeling that she needed to steer clear of Ichigo Kurosaki.

And as for the two people who were imprisoned, no one cared to speak of them again. A taboo for the adults, if you will, and simply missing knowledge for the children that they never realize existed.

**A/N: Just in case anyone want to know, I do slightly headcanon for this chapter that Byakuya had a slight crush on Masaki since moving in next door, but stayed rightly respectful of her relationship with Isshin and did not intrude, keeping it under locked doors.**

**If you see any mistakes or plot holes, please tell me. I might be embarrassed at the slip, but will still remain functioning after maybe two bowls of ice cream.**

**Thanks for reading and I would love a review! :]**


	10. Acting

Chapter Ten: Acting

At Rukia's comment that she would be willing to attend homecoming with Ichigo and commit gambling fraud, Renji was delighted.

Now "sparkle" was never a thing his eyes did, and they certainly didn't now. But a look developed grew on Renji's face that signaled to an onlooker that they held the possibility of doing so. Still holding back a bit on his celebration, he said to Rukia suspiciously, "You're aware that you can't back down from it now, right?"

"Of course."

"Should we make an oath? Like spit on our hands and shake or something. You should do that with Kurosaki, too, just to make sure _he_ doesn't chicken out, either."

Rukia grimaced, rightfully so, at the thought. "Let's skip that part. Besides, do you think spitting on your hand is really the best idea when you're going to be handling food, of all things?"

Only now did he snap back to reality and remembered he was still on the job. "Dammit, right. So just tell Kurosaki, then, as soon as you can –"

"Wait, _I _have to –"

Renji didn't give her an opportunity to finish and hurried on, "– since the thing is like a week away. I gotta go before the manager sees me and yells something about 'slacking off at work' like she did just the other day. I'm counting on ya!"

Rukia watched her friend ascend quickly from the booth and scramble off towards the direction of the kitchen. Unspoken was her original impression that _Renji _was to be the one to tell Ichigo. It was his plan, after all, and she simply thought they wouldn't speak of this matter again until the night of the dance, where she and the strawberry would make a ten minute debut as a couple just for the night, and then part their separate ways. Great, one more thing to worry about.

But worry as she might want to, it needed to be saved for a later occasion, because a woman with her own likeness stepped foot into the diner, looking painfully out of place. Hisana must have thought the restaurant to be much more formal than it turned out to be, because she sported a stiff button-down and some serious, business-type pants. She flushed lightly at the understanding of such a mistake and hesitantly scanned the scene for any sign of Rukia. It took her a while, but she managed to spot the booth where her younger sister sat and approached.

"Sorry, I really didn't expect Urahara's Diner to be so casual... Actually, I guess I should've known from the 'Diner' part of the name, but I guess it's just because I didn't think Byakuya would be the type of person who'd organize a meeting in a place this relaxed. Not –" Hisana held up a hand. "– that it's bad or anything, no, I just wish I had dressed more fittingly."

Coolly, Rukia said, "Well, you got that right about Brother. I think it's just because he knew I come here often."

"Did you have to wait for long?"

"No, not at all." An obligatory smile. "Should we get some food?"

"Oh yes, duh," Hisana laughed at her forgetfulness. "I've actually been hungry since three this afternoon. We should just eat for now and save the talking for later."

They called over a waiter and placed their orders. While Rukia stuck to the dinner section of the menu, Hisana announced that she was "seriously craving some eggs. I want four. Two scrambled, two sunny side up, if you will."

While eating their respective meals, Rukia occupied herself in the silence by looking around at their company. She noticed a set of unruly toddlers a few tables over who can't seem to understand the functions of a napkin, several couples sharing their food with each other, and even Renji giving her a thumbs up from across the room when her gaze landed his way. Contrary to all of her eye-wandering, Hisana focused wholly on her plate at hand.

The older woman was finished much sooner than Rukia anticipated (was she some sort of egg-eating speed demon?) and went ahead and started speaking. "I'll just talk for a while while you're still eating, just so we're not stuck here until midnight."

Seeing no voiced objections, the woman continued, "I'm not sure if you know, but I'm renting an apartment in the city right now. Not too far from your home, actually."

"Are you suggesting that I come and visit?" Rukia picked a bit at some of her food.

"The decision is entirely up to you, but..."

"Please, don't take this as rude," Rukia said, "but could you start in the beginning? I am sorely out of the loop here, since my brother is not big on sharing, so I don't know anything about you or why you're here. Frankly, you're coming across as a bit too forward."

Encouraged nonetheless by Rukia's willingness to listen this time, unlike their last meetup, Hisana ventured ahead with a smile and an apology. "I'm sorry about that, really should've planned what I was going to say better. And if you will pardon me for being a terrible storyteller, but I guess everything started when our parents passed away. You were too little to remember, but..."

And tell a story she did, for almost an entire hour, detailing everything that could possibly be detailed, completely defiling her earlier comment about being a bad storyteller. Believing it not to be any different from a lengthy lecture in class, Rukia sat back tacitly and took some mental notes as needed.

Hisana included everything from what the orphanage that Rukia got left at was like to what she did afterwards (attend college with an utterly decimated conscience, racking up a sizable debt along the way). She elaborated upon the efforts she put into in finding Rukia again, then described her current job as a dental hygienist working in the bustling center of Karakura a few miles away.

In the end, she tacked on an optimistic, "There's been a lot of lost time, but it could be made up, I'm sure. What do you think?"

Some seconds of pondering in Rukia's conflicted mind later, the Kuchiki said, "I'm not sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one, I think I would have done the same thing had I been in your place. I do see your perspective a lot, actually. Add that to the fact I am living in a sizable house, getting an education, and supplied with more than enough food... well, I have nothing to complain about. You wouldn't have been able to take care of me anyway, so I ended up in a better situation than if you kept me around."

"I feel like there's a 'but' coming," Hisana said.

"It might sound offensive."

"That's alright." The woman appeared the most serious Rukia has ever seen her since coming into the diner.

"You're unnecessary. No, that's not the right word." Rukia grimaced a bit at how crude it sounded and reconsidered. "More like necessary, but extraneous. You know in the sliced bread they sell at the supermarkets, how there is always the slice in the very beginning and end of the loaf that includes the crust? Well, it's necessary in some ways, of course, and will always exist, like how I can't change the fact that we're related or deny either of our existences. But the people who buy the bread don't buy it for those slices, they buy it for the slices in the middle."

With some more understanding of the matter, Hisana probed, "I know what you're trying to say, but I do have a question."

"Okay."

"Those slices are still edible, right? So are you willing to eat them?"

Glancing down at the cold leftovers still on her plate, Rukia then raised her eyes but still didn't look directly at her sister. Her mind could work at an amazing speed when she wants it to, but now, her sorry excuse for a brain stalled. Renji's bright hair in the distance kept distracting her. She finally answered, "I'm still not sure. But I guess so. Why let food go to waste like that?"

* * *

Rukia might have hightailed it out of Ichigo's house that morning, but her name lingered, much to his great annoyance. Even Karin – oh how corrupted by Isshin and Yuzu she has become! – joined in with the never-ending teasing of him. It ranged from mild, like Yuzu inquiring whether Rukia would visit again anytime soon, to off-the-charts severe, like his father asking questions that should be better left to the imagination. Even after he clearly explained the situation to them (several times), the truth went in one ear and out the other.

Just when his opinion of Rukia took a big dip, she came back to haunt him, which made Ichigo all the more irritated about the matter.

After a few hours of the rest of the Kurosakis _notgiving it up_, he was a light push away from falling off the edge. Deciding that there was only one solution to this, he made a quick call to the quietest person he knew, Chad, and took his leave from the pestering of his dad and sisters.

There were no obligations to speak much when Chad was around, and Ichigo relished in some much-needed peace while in good company. They made do with mostly walking around, even intruding upon the elementary school's playground for a short while.

But that peace had a limited lifespan, and once dinnertime came and went, his friend finally pushed and said, "I should be getting home, Ichigo. It's late."

"Ah, I really shouldn't have kept you this long, Chad. Sorry 'bout that." A bit guiltily, he scratched the back of his head. He could hear his stomach audibly growl with hunger, but the thought of enduring more talk of Rukia and his supposed romantic affiliation suppressed it effectively. It could take days before his family gets tired of the subject. That did not make him feel any better.

Nonetheless, he couldn't keep Chad away from _his_ family just because he was annoyed with his. That was selfish.

So they said their goodbyes and headed towards their own homes, with Ichigo knowing he'll have to face the music. It's just talk, after all.

Oh, but he must've jinxed it, because the "just talk" manifested in a corporeal Rukia while he was just a few yards away from his house. There was limited lighting, but the silhouette heading towards him was unmistakably hers, the small stature and hair between eyes.

She had to be preoccupied with something, because she didn't notice him until a couple seconds later, when they both reached their respective driveways and within very close range of each other's peripherals. He expected her to continue on without saying anything as usual, but jumped in surprise when she actually called out to him, "Ichigo!"

"What do you want?" Ichigo scowled, not pleased that she saw him being so surprised.

Rukia ran across the lawn until she was close enough to hold a normal conversation with him, but still with some modest space between the two. "I talked to Renji today about his plan."

"His plan..." It took a moment. "Oh right, the homecoming shenanigan. What about it?"

"I changed my mind about not doing it."

"Good to know." It took another moment before he understood she was implying that they will attend the dance together. But he won't let her have this one so easily. Purposefully pretending to be clueless, he shrugged. "How does that concern me?"

One eyeroll from Rukia later, "I'm just letting you that you're going to the dance with me after all. So don't forget to put on your acting face that night and get a corsage or something so it looks official."

Oh, oh, this just gave him the greatest idea. "That's no way to ask someone to the dance."

She scrunched her eyebrows in puzzlement. "What are you talking about?"

"What I'm saying is if we're acting the part, we need to do it well. What will Ishida think if we just randomly show up to the event as a 'couple' out of nowhere? Obviously that we're pulling something shady. There needs to be a public declaration ahead of time that we're going together. Something that sounds genuine and will fool people." He grinned with some satisfaction that he could come up with such flawless reasoning on the spot.

He really just wanted to see Rukia put into a bit of a difficult situation now that the tables are turned. Since he honestly did want to help Renji, refusing to go with her was not an option. Because he had to agree, he might as well have some fun while doing it. Even if it's at her expense.

Quite frankly, this made up for his family's teasing all day.

Treading with some caution, Rukia folded her arms. "So what are you saying?"

"You're going to have to ask me to the dance at school where everyone will overhear. That will definitely get the rumor wheels spinning. And don't skimp out on the romantic aspect of it, either. Think of something creative. Flowers, candy, cards. I mean, this is our last dance, after all. Am I right, Rukia?"

"No way!" She bursted out adamantly. "Why do _I_ have to be the one to do it? You're the guy here, _you_ ask me! It's how it's suppose to work."

Grinning quite sadistically, Ichigo said, "But you're the one who changed her mind at the last second. The first person calls first pick, and I pick you as the asker. Nothing wrong with the girl asking, I'm sure. Momo did it. Maybe you should ask her for some advice. Get into the mindset of someone who's in _loooooove_."

"I'm not in –"

_Oh he was having such a blast with this._ "I'll be looking forward to see what you come up with for your invitation." For good measure, he even added a modest wave while walking up to the door of his house. "And remember: if it's not good enough, I do have the authority to refuse."

"You listen here!" Rukia's fists were clenched, her eyes a mixture of anger and bewilderment.

But he was already shutting the door.

**A/N: For Urahara's Diner, think of Denny's. And sorry this came a bit late. I had this HUGE burst of inspiration for a non-fanfic story and had to write down a whole bunch of plot points for reference.**

**Thanks for reading, and as always, I'd love a review! :]**


	11. Resources

**A/N: A bit transitional and slightly rushed, but I'm going on vacation tomorrow and will have unreliable internet.**

Chapter Ten: Resources

The entirety of Sunday Rukia spent fretting. With the responsibility of her now having to ask that wretched Ichigo to the dance... well, this was worse than any homework assignment, than any final exam. And she has had quite a few of them in her lifetime.

In fact, she procrastinated so much on thinking about the homecoming thing that she finished her entire math project and wrote a thesis for her language arts class simply to delay the inevitable. The problem was that the event loomed only a week away, on Saturday, and she set a personal deadline to have the asking portion of her task done by tomorrow. That way, there'd be some fudge room to cement their position to Uryu and make it seem more official.

But _how_?!

Flowers? Cards? Maybe an extremely cheesy letter? For one of the first instances in her life, Rukia found the internet to be little help. All the advice columns out there contradicted with each other, and who was to say which one boasted the truth.

"God, this is a sad sight. And all because of a guy, too," she muttered, ashamed about resorting to the level of watching two romantic films consecutively (definitely _not _streamed illegally) to get her inspiration wheels turning.

No luck there. All the gestures seemed either overdone, implausible, or just not fitting for her circumstances.

She soon realized the root of the whole problem – all the online advice were directed towards people who actually _wanted_ to get with, seduce, or date the person they had in mind. Even in the movies, the two protagonists both realized they had feelings for the other person and were motivated because of their affections. The exact opposite was true, as Ichigo probably just wanted to cause her trouble and waved her into his terrible idea. If they were so devoid of chemistry, or whatever those two from _Titanic _had with each other, then obviously nothing would be appropriate.

But the troubleshooting did prove to have a beneficial effect, because if she, if she simply shifted her perspective a little... then the entire endeavor could appear less like a groan-worthy obligation and more of a challenge. And she liked those.

Her lack of emotional attachments to Ichigo just made the stakes on the challenge higher, and as a result, more appealing.

Whether she actually thought that, or it was simply her subconscious willing her to believe it to make the task more approachable, it didn't matter. All that was important was some form of motivation came, artificial or not.

She ditched the internet, for that was an amateur's tool, and cracked her knuckles in preparation to do some _serious_ research. Picking up her resource of choice, a cellphone, she dialed Momo's number and got into her ready stance, lying on her stomach on her bed. There was no better teacher on the subject, surely, than a close friend who was currently in a steady relationship. It was officially business time.

After a short wait, Momo picked up. "Oh hey, Rukia, how's life?" Television white noise sounded in the background.

"Life's interesting, and I hope you wouldn't mind if I go ahead and get straight to the point," Rukia took a breath and continued, "Could you please tell me exactly how you and Hitsugaya got together? Details would be greatly appreciated."

Though she has heard the story once or twice before, her friend had always skipped the "how" part of the story and gone ahead to describe those "cascading white locks of his that shimmered like snow in the sunshine" or how "his eyes were those shafts of sunlight that breaks through the murky underwaters when you're scuba diving." While they were all fun and worthy of their own poetry collection, Rukia was currently more focused on the mechanics of their get-together rather than the embellishments.

Momo was curious to ask what brought this on, but she never missed an opportunity to speak of her short, irritable boyfriend, "Well, on the morning of the day we met, I think I had my usual breakfast of milk and –"

"Maybe a teensy bit less detailed?" Rukia suggested.

"Oops, sorry, I do get carried away." The girl recollected her thoughts. "I went the the school library that day after school because I got a lower grade than expected on a previous math test and needed to study up for the next one. There was only one empty desk left, well, empty except for him. Probably because he had on a real sour and off-putting face and scared everyone else off, but I could be wrong."

"Go on," Rukia said to indicating her attentiveness.

"I was a bit desperate for a seat, so I sat down at that table with my math textbook. Then he looked up. Pretty much everyone knew who he was, you know, even back then – the smarty-pants who skipped a year and constantly acted pretentious towards most people. Anyway, he kept making that angry expression and scribbled a whole bunch over some papers. That got me curious! So, I went ahead and asked what's the matter.

"I didn't believe it at first," the girl laughed. "But he gestured to the paper he had that apparently received a... B! Some about his lack of creativity. He wasn't able to win the points back, either, even after a heated argument with the teacher, so he had to suffer with that one blemish on his record. Pretty crazy stuff."

"Hitsugaya getting a B on something?" Rukia let out a gasp. "If I hadn't heard it from a trustworthy source, it'd sound like an urban legend."

"Yep." hinamori continued on with satisfaction. "I asked to read his paper and then gave some pointers about making the language more poetic and whatnot. In return, because he said he didn't like being in someone's debt, he went over algebra with me."

Anticipating a grand finish, Rukia urged, "So what happened that made the two of you to start dating?"

"Oh, that?" She sounded a bit more disinterested about the rest. "I just suggested we get some coffee one day, and he accepted after getting red in the face."

"That's... it?" Disappointment colored Rukia's tone at the anticlimactic feel of it. "Nothing else?" _Nothing showier_?

"Yeah, what did you expect? Walking away from an explosion in the background while I'm in his arms, suffering a critical wound? Then he might lean down to my ears and whisper in a husky voice, 'We should hang out more when this saving the world business gets boring.'" An audible, dreamy sigh. "I, of course, would be starstruck and maybe stutter back, 'Oh definitely, Shiro. How about next Wednesday at Urahara's Diner?'"

"Urahara's Diner is in your fantasies?" Rukia held in a laugh. "And maybe something less melodramatic than that."

Reverting back to her normal voice, Momo said, "So why all the questions?" Out of the phone came a sudden sharp, piercing intake of air as she gasped, "No no, don't tell me, I know what it is – You've secretly harbored a serious crush for years and are finally making a move on this person!"

Playing along, Rukia tried to capture the tone her friend adopted earlier. "Oh yes, a dashing young beau indeed. I'm seeking his hand in marriage and must acquire his father's blessings."

"Rukiaaaa."

"Sorry, sorry. Truth is..." She hesitated. Truth was, she had little idea of exactly how much to tell Momo. Renji never explicitly stated that the scheme must be kept between the three participants, but it was tacitly implied. Then again, the whole point of his plan was to make her and Ichigo visible as a couple, so she _should_ be spreading the word.

The trouble here then was Momo knew her too well (and her previous animosity towards Ichigo), and therefore would never believe her "oh I just decided to ask him to homecoming out of the blue" story on its surface value. If she pressed further but Rukia still doesn't reveal anything about the truth, then suspicions might arise, and that would turn out to be bad publicity.

Telling her wouldn't do any harm, right? It would be like recruiting someone to help her side of things, and Momo was a skilled liar when she wants to be, so secret-keeping wouldn't be much of an issue. Renji wouldn't mind, either, if it were for the greater good.

So she went ahead and clued Momo in on everything, save Renji's true motives on needing the money, and felt relieved at finally sharing the load. Readily awaiting some feminine counsel on her circumstances – which was probably the key thing that she was missing all along – Rukia said, "Well?"

"I never took Renji to be such a sneaky, conniving..." She trailed off, then, "Did you tell Orihime about this already, since she's still pretty infatuated with Kurosaki."

"Did I tell –" Rukia felt a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Orihime! Stupid, stupid, stupid; how could I forget about her?! I was so caught up in, I mean, I can't tell her about cheating the bet because she's on such close terms with Uryu, who's running the whole thing, especially since she's a bad liar, but then –"

Calmly, Hinamori interjected, "Breathe, Rukia, it sounds like you're suffocating. Slowly, in and out. I think it's best to just tell her outright. Can't do much harm."

"But what if she accidentally lets anything slip to Uryu? They're going to be together the whole time that night, maybe even longer."

"But if you don't tell her, then she's going to get the wrong idea and think you've been hiding some feelings for Kurosaki the whole time and was camouflaging it with insults. That could lead to even more problems." Momo sounded confident. "Besides, it's just one night, so surely she can keep it a secret for that long."

Rukia still wanted to object but knew her friend was cemented in her own beliefs. Deciding that it was best to end the conversation and mull over this new problem, she said a thanks and was about to hang up when,

"Before I forget, Rukia, since you are going to homecoming after all, come over to my house a few hours before on Saturday. Orihime, Tatsuki, Rangiku, and some others are all meeting up at my house with their dates here beforehand to have dinner and stuff. Well, Tatsuki's going dateless, but you know. So, tell Ichigo to come, too."

"Yes, of course!" She hadn't thought about their plans for before and was glad it was cleared up so easily. Certainly spending alone time at a restaurant with no one else but Ichigo was not a scenario she desired. Now, with everyone else, at least there'd be conversation buffers.

"And make sure to bring along a change of running shoes and a casual outfit, because afterwards, we're going to laser tag!" Momo's excitement was evident. "I was hoping for paintball, but we weren't able to find a place."

They bade their goodbyes and hanged up respectively.

Rukia rolled onto her back, dropped the phone to her side, and groaned. She was still not relieved of her previous burden of finding a way to ask, and now, there was the issue of Orihime to consider.

A glance at the clock told her it was still early in the evening, but right now, time wasn't what she needed. Since it was evenly split between her being against telling Orihime and Momo for, there needed to be an outside opinion from an unbiased third party. Someone to tip the balance on her ambivalence.

Oh yes, wasn't this an issue a girl tended to discuss with their older sisters? At least, that's what the custom seemed to be, and ever so conveniently, Hisana did insist they exchange contact information last night at the diner. She wouldn't think it odd, would she? If Rukia suddenly called her after just one good talk with each other to discuss such an extensive matter? But Renji's entire plan was riding on this, so she had no better option.

With the phone practically calling her name, Rukia picked it up again and selected the correct person from her contacts list. It connected within seconds. "Hey, I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Not at all! I just got back from my shift at work, so perfect timing." Hisana sounded giddy, but Rukia wasn't sure if it was because she was the one initiating the call (and maybe doing some familial bonding as a result?) or it was just the woman's usual answering-the-phone demeanor. "What's up?"

"Well you see, I'm in a bit of a pickle right now."

"Oh, do tell me everything! I love giving advice."

With some thought to the peculiarity of this conversation and how days earlier, she wouldn't have even considered such a thing, Rukia began to speak.

She must've done a nice job explaining the bare-bones of the situation while managing for it to make sense, because Hisana seemed to be very intrigued by it all. "I had no idea so much drama is going on in your life," declared the woman. She continued with vigor, "But let me tell you something, this Orihime friend of yours should be told about it, but only in a face-to-face conversation. It'll be more courteous that way. You and this Ichigo person don't actually like each other at all, am I right? So she should know the truth and be aware it's in no way endangering her chances of pursuing him later on."

"Yes, but like I've said, what if she accidentally –"

"You'd just have to trust her on it. It'll be worse if she finds out along with everyone else and jumps to some irrational theory about you two actually being involved."

"That's what my other friend said."

Encouraged dramatically by that, Hisana went on in a professional tone, "Just make her understand that she should keep it top secret. And you also said you had no idea how to invite this boy? Here's what I think you should do: something simple yet obvious. Do it in homeroom, maybe. Start by..."

Rukia sprang up to grab a pen and some paper to take notes.

**A/N: Thanks for reading!**


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